This past week, we were able visit a fascinating museum. Palazzo Strozzi was used for the first time as a stage for a single artist, world famous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Ai filled the entire building, including the facade, with old and site specific artworks. I haven't seen much of Ai Weiwei's work before, besides his performance piece dropping an ancient urn. This museum was a much needed inspiration that I needed, a fresh beat of contemporary in my months of renaissance.

Something that I found important within Ai Weiwei's work was his use of simplicity throughout each piece. He takes his single complex idea and uses the most powerful symbols to explain his stance on the issue. I find this very difficult to achieve, as an artist I think that I am always adding to my pieces every detail that will go with subject. One of my favorite pieces in this gallery was his piece Study of Perspective, where Ai's middle finger is shown in front of some of the most iconic landmarks and government buildings around the world; including the Mona Lisa, the Louvre, the White House, the Eiffel Tower, St. Mark's Square, La Sagrada Familia and many others. He wants viewers to question their approach to their government, as his was always trying to take him down. With one simple gesture, he is able to either shock the viewer, make the viewer think into their own lives or both. Just with one small change to a normal photo anyone might take when going to visit these places.

I hope to see more of his work, or continue to learn about his other pieces. This exhibition left me craving knowledge about not only his work, but work of many artists. Throughout school I enjoyed art history but it was something that we had to take, so I didn't put my whole heart into it, I wish I would have. Now I want to learn about artist's works and what makes them so passionate to create this pieces that may have been provocative of the time. On to the next museum, Ciao!