By Nico Pascual
Image: Daily Mail
The Chinese visual artist – whose recent work has focused mostly on human rights – has been volunteering in refugee camps in Greece and Macedonia. Now, according the Reuters, he plans to direct a film on the migrant crisis because he has been deeply affected by what has transpired and wants to share his experiences. “It’s a documentary film, we have been shooting (for) over 600 hours, I did hundreds of interviews,” he spoke to reporters in Bern, Switzerland. “The film is going to come out next year. Now we are still doing last (shoots) since the refugee situation is continuous, it doesn’t seem (like) it is going to stop.”
Ai Weiwei’s recent work over this past year has been focusing on the migrant’s plight. Just last month, he brought music to the refugees in the Idomeni camp by installing a grand piano, and last March he installed 14,000 life jackets in Berlin’s concert hall to bring attention to the refugees that are trying to reach Europe. But the artist also drew criticism for his portrayal of drowned toddler Alan Kurdi. Although his work can largely be seen as controversial, we can say that his heart is in the right place.
His film is stated to be released in 2017.