www.artsy.net: One of the jewels of Ai Weiwei’s “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors”—the sprawling Public Art Fund project the Chinese artist mounted across New York City last fall—was a gleaming steel cage that sat within the arch at Washington Square Park. The work quickly became a destination for droves of locals and tourists alike, but few likely knew that the work itself was made in a factory on the other side of the globe, in a suburb of Shanghai, China.
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Big public art installations like the ones UAP create are so incredibly important for the spread of art outside the upper class, and outside of the very small and exclusive gallery community that often keeps up under lock and key, both literally and metaphorically, from the public. Public works are so critical for spreading an appreciation of art into the entirety of the society it is in, especially to the next generation - fun playful sculptures like The Kraken, while cute, still serve to start kids on a path of appreciating art from a young age and being aware of the creative works around them, which is the only way to grow more creative and aware adults. Especially in places like China, where new wealth is beginning to close of art once again, these sculptures are key to keeping art accessible and free for the rest of the people in a country.
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