The winds of change were blowing over Alcatraz on Friday evening at the unveiling of “@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz,” as the work of Chinese artist–activist Ai Weiwei permeated the foreboding prison with poignant inspiration. The artist himself was prohibited from travelling by the Chinese government, rendering his impassioned message of human rights and solidarity that much more powerful by his absence on the notoriously isolated Rock, now accessible by ferry as a national park. His four site-specific installations situated throughout the abandoned, decomposing complex were varied in their materials and approach, but his message was consistent: governments can imprison the body, but not the glorious human spirit. A breakthrough partnership of the nonprofit FOR-SITE Foundation, headed by gallerist Cheryl Haines, the National Park Service, and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy collaborated to bring the works to the first-ever exhibit on Alcatraz, and a curious coterie of art-world heavyweights, human rights activists, and San Francisco society ferried over in solidarity to see the scene.
The notion of a “Party on the Rock” was a bit of a hard sell – nothing puts a damper on a festive mood like a visit to a maximum security psych ward, even if the most exquisite art was nestled therein. The four disparate locations of the installations required significant treks up and over the island, resulting in missed connections and a frenzy of texting amongst guests who struggled to get their bearings over unfamiliar concrete barricades. But the panic of isolation was briefly evocative of a prisoner’s experience, and the rewarding spectacular views of the City and the Bay more than compensated for disorientation. Trained National Park Guides provided historical context, while volunteers helped with interpretation and location of the art. An unusually windless night proved a boon to the homesick and seasick, a surprising number of whom admitted they had never before been to Alcatraz. That made the stories of prisoners’ life that much more poignant, the description of latter-day hard labor and harder earned privileges melding into the painful circumstances of present-day dissidents, many of whom were depicted in “Trace,” a series of ‘carpets’ built out of Legos in the New Industries Building, never before open to the public. A large, wing-like assembly of solar cooking panels from Tibet was called “Refraction,” and viewable only from the narrow corridor where guards’ guns were trained on prisoner-workers; the political message about the Chinese government’s confinement of an entire nation was very clear. A modernized, branded interpretation of a Chinese Dragon entitled “With Wind,” spotlighted nations “with records of violating human rights and civil liberties,” while the eyes of the dragon reflected the Twitter logo, a way of seeing into abuse. In the Cellhouse, two different installations included sounds of sung and spoken word by detainees, and Tibetan and Native American chanting. Exquisitely wrought bouquets of white porcelain flowers bloomed from sinks and commodes in the green-tinted hospital ward, an unexpected “Blossom” of beauty that counterbalanced the stark despair. Finally in the Dining Hall, guests could write a postcard pre-addressed to an individual prisoner of conscience, a stay against confusion that offered a glimmer of positive action to lift the weight of the artists’ forceful condemnation of wrongful imprisonment. Rhythmic performances by ODC Dancers positioned throughout the spaces also offered a diverting affirmation of spirit. Tickets for the event benefited the sponsoring FOR-SITE Foundation, The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, which made the party part palatable; the art made the visit viable. Ai Weiwei was not released to attend the opening of his own exhibit on Alatraz, but there was no doubt he was @Large.
Making the flowers bloom: Roger Evans and Aey Phanachet, Bob and Randi Fisher, Wendy and Eric Schmidt, Druisie and Jim Davis, Francis and Marie-Cahterine Cuigniez, Amy Rao, Penny and Jim Coulter, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, Pam and Dick Kramlich, Nion McEvoy and Leslie Berriman, Kim Anstatt Morton and Ian Morton, Paul Sack, Norah and Norman Stone, Cissy Swig, Marsha Garces Williams, Don Joint and Brice Brown, Jean and Jim Douglas, John Atwater and Diana Nelson, Frances Bowes, Carolyn and Preston Butcher, Shawn and Brook Byers, Courtney and Seth Dallaire, Jonathan Gans and Abigail Turin, Deborah and Bill Harlan, Linda and John Gruber, Nancy and Joachim Bechtle, Mike and Bobbie Wilsey, Susan Swig, Gina and Dave Pell, Nancy Livingston and Fred Levin, Tad Freese, Ahna Rao, Stephen and Gail Rineberg, Chara Schreyer and Gordon Freund, Darian and Rick Swig, Sheila Duignan and Mike Wilkins, Eileen and Peter Michael, Craig Hartman and Jan O’Brien, Brenda and George Jewett, Tony and Celeste Meier, Jason and Matthew Goldman, and many who were generous of substance and spirit. Also spotted on the Rock: Susie Tomkins Buell and Mark Buell, Sabrina Buell and Yves Behar, Alka and Ravin Agrawal, Douglas Durkin, Stanlee Gatti, Hung Liu and Jeff Kelley, Charlot and Greg Malin, Sarah and David Woodward, Dr. Evian Gordon, David Reposar, Steve and Nancy Oliver, Julie and Will Parish, Kay Woods, Robert Fisher, Victoria Loren Miller, Jane Seagal, Jennifer Biederbeck, Natasha Boas, Chloe Harris, Nevada Museum of Art’s contingent including Director David Walker, Darby Walker, JoAnne Northrup and Sari Rogoff, Aimee Friberg, Shannon Bavaro, Darren Bechtel and Samantha Duvall, Dorka Keehn, Paul Weaver, Susan Dunlevy, Tiffany Schlain and Ken Goldberg, Alison and Trevor Traina, Loren Goodman, Bill Fisher, Rose Fisher, Neal Benezra, Seth Matarasso, Elena Yonah, Mary and Harold Zlot, and many more freedom fighters, all of whom were living @Large.