Ai Weiwei's magical and mythological bamboo kites go on display in Paris department store

by Kim Megson | 19 Jan 2016

The show is Ai Weiwei's first exhibition of original works in France / Le Bon Marché

In a surprise move, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is exhibiting his first original works in France at a luxury department store in Paris.

The show, named Er Xi, Air de Jeux (Child’s Play), features more than 100 bamboo and silk kites and 3D structures depicting mythological creatures from Chinese legend.

The exhibition at Le Bon Marché – which will run to 20 February 2016 and is promoting a store sale – is inspired by the artist's childhood, his previous works and the Chinese book of myths Shan Hai Jing (‘The Classic of Mountains and Seas’), which is over 2,000 years old.

Kite makers from China’s Shandong Province worked with Weiwei to create the fantastical kites, which are many shapes and sizes and represent birds, fish, dragons and a selection of other fantastical creatures.

The exhibition is divided into three areas of the store: the ten exterior storefront display cases, the atriums and the gallery, which is being patrolled by a large dragon made of woven bamboo.

“The city of Paris is like a myth to me; it is another world,” said Weiwei. “Mythology symbolises a parallel world to ours which is our imagination, our dreams, our fears, our history. It is like a mirror that reflects our society and our personality and helps us understand our world. “

“I hope the show can surprise and amaze people and make their lives a little more joyous and colourful.”

Asked to describe the challenges of creating art for a department store, Weiwei said: “This is the kind of place I love having my work presented; a place directly linked to the city and its citizens. It is not really a place of art, but it is associated with trends and lifestyle.

“Yes, it represented a real challenge for me to create works specifically for a department store, but that made it all the more interesting.”

Last year Weiwei hosted another art and sculpture exhibition featuring mythological kites at the former prison Alcatraz in the US.

The artist is most famous around the world for his politically-influenced works, which led to him being placed under house arrest in China and unable to travel for four years.