Portrait banners from Ai Weiwei’s NYC ‘Fences’ project available for sale to benefit refugee charities
Ai Weiwei banner 2, outside trump tower; Photo Timothy Schenk, courtesy Public Art Fund, NY
Nearly a year ago, artist Ai Weiwei‘s project, “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” commissioned by the Public Art Fund, covered New York City with installations and banners in reference to the current international refugee crisis. Though the works are no longer on display, their message remains even more pressing. In commemoration of World Refugee Day on June 20, the Public Art Fund and eBay for Charity put Ai’s project back into public reach with the sale of limited-edition original portrait banners drawn from those made by the artist (h/t Surface). There are six banners in all, and sales benefit USA for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and the Fund’s mission to promote accessible art.
The six banners offered for sale. Photo courtesy of Public Art Fund and eBay.
The banners display portraits of refugees–some were featured in the artist’s documentary, “Human Flow,” while others are historic figures and people he met in refugee camps–and are made with the same industrial vinyl and laser-cutting technique as those originally on display. The banners for sale are 17-inch-by-48 inch portrait banners (half the size of the originals) and will be available in a limited run of 500. Individual banners will sell for $750 and the set of six costs $4,500. The sale began on June 20 and will run through June 27 or until all of the banners sell out. Buy some for yourself or find out more here.
[Via Surface]
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