Accountability & Memorialization: Cross-Cultural Symbolism in Ai Weiwei’s Snake Ceiling Katrina Nolan Project Mentor(s): Erika Pazian, PhD Ai Weiwei’s Snake Ceiling (2009) is a memorial that utilizes symbolism in both Chinese and Western cultures. Snake Ceiling is one of two of Ai’s pieces that memorializes the some 69,000 lives lost during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake—5,000 of whom were children. Snake Ceiling is just what the title describes: backpacks organized in a snake-like form that stretches across museum ceilings and measures approximately 29.5 feet long and 1.5 feet wide. Created during a time of anguish, Snake Ceiling allows Ai to complete his mission to rectify the silence around the primary cause of the lives lost. While the earthquake was the main cause of death, Ai believes it was poor government management that led to an excessive number of easily preventable deaths. In an era when holding government institutions accountable was censored and Chinese dissidents were punished for protesting, Snake Ceiling speaks out for those who can’t. This paper analyzes the societal and political landscape of Snake Ceiling ’s conception as well as the inconspicuous innovative ways Ai creates a visual that brings awareness to the negligent government actions. Ai Weiwei’s Snake Ceiling is a traveling memorial that utilizes symbols common in Chinese and Western cultures to bring attention to the coverup of a corrupt government and the preventable deaths from the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. Art throughout history has been a powerful form of expression, used at times by political entities to reflect their ideologies, such as those of Nazi Germany (1933-1945). Art censorship was prevalent, leading to the stealing, burning, and condemning of art that did not align with their ideology. Many condemned images were shown in the Degenerate Art Exhibition, a place for the public to view art that was not perceived to fit Germany’s image. In the exhibition, the art was meant to be mocked and discredited. In contrast, art considered the best and finest was celebrated in institutions like the House of German Art. Under the current United States government administration, art continues to be tied to cultural identity. Art viewed as not showing America in a good light is being censored from public museums. The government officials have made statements on what qualifies as great art and argued that art should be inspirational and show American “greatness” instead of focusing on the history of America. Many works have been taken down, and the government is actively reviewing future works and exhibitions. As a result, art and exhibitions that center around immigration, the LGBTQIA+ community, and controversial events in history have been removed or are being removed. By comparing the censorship of art in Nazi Germany to art censorship today, we can better understand censorship’s impact and recognize the importance of artistic expression to help prevent similar patterns from repeating. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation (May 20, 9:30am–5:00pm) Keywords: Art History, Holocaust, Censorship SOURCE Form ID: 211 Presentation Type: Oral Presentation (May 20, 9:30am–5:00pm) Keywords : Art History, Contemporary, Installation, Memorials, China SOURCE Form ID: 159 Art Censorship Then vs Now: What Has Really Changed? Sophie Svarthumle Project Mentor(s): Erika Pazian, PhD
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