Chinese artist Ai Weiwei to create refugee memorial on Lesbos, Greece
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei announced plans on Friday to create a memorial on the Greek island of Lesbos to the plight of refugees, many of whom have lost their lives trying to reach Europe.
“A lot of people have lost their lives under the waves... we need a memorial,” Ai told Agence France-Presse after a news conference on the project.
“I already set up a studio in Lesbos. Next year we are going to be involved with different projects,” said Ai, adding that his workshops in China and Germany as well as a number of his students would be involved.
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“This is a very historical moment from any perspective. As an artist I want to be more involved, I want to [create] artworks in relation to the crisis and also create some kind of consciousness about the situation,” he said.
The artist earlier this week paid a holiday visit to refugees and migrants flocking to the Greek island of Lesbos, tweeting out photos and videos that bore witness to their plight.
A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Dec 27, 2015 at 1:37pm PST
He posted a video on Monday showing the arrival of a rubber dinghy carrying desperate people to the island’s shores from nearby Turkey.