A collection of essays that I wrote
Ai Weiwei’s Re-enactment of Alan Kurdi Regarding the Issue of Refugee Aesthetics
Ai Weiwei’s Re-enactment of Alan Kurdi Regarding the Issue of Refugee Aesthetics
Introduction
This paper conducts a critical analysis of an image of artist Ai Weiwei re-enacting the drowned Syrian toddler Alan Kurdi (Chung, 2016, para 1). The image went viral in 2016 after it was shared on Twitter by news magazine India Today (para. 4) and caused quite the outrage, with people saying that the artist took it too far (Verberckmoes, 2016, para.1). Brooklyn artist Sean Capone called him out on Instagram: “Calling you [Mr. Weiwei] out for your bad taste, egotistical victim porn and endless parade of crappy art, enough is enough.” (Steadman, 2016, para.9). New York-based Street photographer Sally Davies agreed. “I viscerally reject this image in every way,” she told the Observer via email. “Having viewed the original heart-breaking photo of the small child washed up on the beach, this feels like nothing more than an opportunist move to hitchhike onto a current tragedy.” (para.11).
(Chawla, 2016)
This paper critically assesses the picture of Weiwei and analyses it using different theories from different scholars. Since I am a white Dutch woman, born and raised in the Netherlands by parents who are also Dutch nor do I have other direct immigrant relations in the family, therefore I feel like I am not in a place to make any ethical judgements towards this image concerning refugees.
Therefore, I will focus on the concept of refugee aesthetics and the problem that relates to this. The problem that arises with refugee aesthetics is the media’s intention to elicit sympathy and action from the public but, in doing so, portraying refugees as marginalised 'others' without agency, reducing them to faceless, objectified figures devoid of their political, social, and historical context (Ranniger, 2020, p.9; August, 2021, p.11). This problem is highly relevant today. In June 2022, the number of displaced people worldwide reached an all-time high at over 100 million and these numbers are expected to surge in coming decades. The Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) predicts that around 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050 due to natural disasters and climate change (Bellizzi, et al, 2023, p.1). People having to flee their homes is a situation happening now and will happen in the future, therefore the depiction of them in the media is of high relevance.
In this paper I will analyse the picture of Ai Weiwei through the following analytical question: Does Ai Weiwei’s re-enactment of Alan Kurdi alleviate or exacerbate the issue surrounding the aesthetics of refugees? I will start this paper by describing the visual object together with a compositional analysis. An important note here is that I chose not to use the original picture of Alan Kurdi in my compositional analysis as a tool for comparison. This is because these photos were used without any consent of the family leaving a question of exploitation regarding Alan Kurdi and his family and raising questions of ethics (Häggström, 2018, p.2).
After the compositional analysis, I dive into the theories of Barthes and Hall regarding the construction of meaning. Continue with an exploration into Bhabha’s concept of otherness and connect this to theories about the representation of refugees in the media. I will relate these theories to the image of Weiwei and then offer conclusions on the positive and negative aspects of Ai Weiwei's portrayal of refugee aesthetics.
Description of the Visual Object
This picture was shot in February 2016 on the Greek island Lesvos for India Today Magazine and presented in the accompanying exhibition at the India Art Fair. The image depicts the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei who poses as the drowned Syrian boy Alan Kurdi. It was shot as part of the inaugural India Today Art Awards 2016's International Spotlight (Desk, 2016, para.2). The picture was taken by Visual Director Rohit Chawla who, together with Senior Editor Gayatri Jayaraman, spent 48 hours with Ai Weiwei in Lesvos, where Weiwei was working at the time (para.3). India Today is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine. It’s the biggest English magazine in India, with a readership of nearly 8 million in 2014 (Business Today, 2017, para 4).This photo is a re-enactment of a picture of Syrian refugee Kurdi. Kurdi was 3 years old when he and his family were fleeing Syria on an inflatable boat bound for the Greek island Kos. The boat capsized and Kurdi drowned. Graphic photographs of Kurdi’s inert body made global headlines on the 2nd of September 2015 (Mendes, 2023, p.4). The decision to re-enact Kurdi was suggested to Ai Weiwei by the photographer Rohit Chawla (p.4), but Weiwei and his team "actively helped in staging this photograph for us", said Rohit Chawla (Lakshmi, 2016, para. 4).
Ai Weiwei is a globally famous artist. Mainly known for his hard-edged critique of the Chinese regime’s censorship and repression, particularly the reality-engineering linked to the regime’s human rights violations (Mendes, 2023, p.1).
Compositional Analysis
This visual object is a monochromatic photograph, shot with a digital camera. The artwork was intended for a magazine print but was also distributed on Twitter. The size of the image therefore varies. thereby adapting to varied display sizes.
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The photograph effectively adheres to the "Rule of Thirds" for its composition. The horizon aligns with the two-thirds mark from the bottom to the top of the image (see figure 1, yellow line). Above this horizon, the composition appears serene, with a display of scattered clouds and two trees in the upper right corner. These trees create a striking contrast against the light grey sky. Below the horizon, a pebbled beach stretches out, meeting the seashore. The shoreline's trajectory forms a diagonal line pointing toward the trees (see blue line). In the lower one-third of the frame, the isolated body of Ai Weiwei lays on his stomach on the pebbled beach, clothed, eyes closed, mouth open and facing the viewer (see figure 1, pink line). Weiwei’s solitary figure occupies a position of importance in the composition, becoming the immediate focus of the viewer's attention (see figure 1, pink circle). As it is supposed to be an ordinary picture of a pebbled beach, but then a person disrupts this, just lying there. Giving the viewer a lingering question: "How did this person get here?"
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Dressed in dark attire with white sneakers, the contrast between the clothing accentuates the person's face (see figure 2, orange circle) and the hand lying next to his body (see figure 2, purple circle). His closed eyes and open mouth of Weiwei suggest a sense of distress or perhaps even a lifeless state. The light shed on his hand may suggest a cry for help.
The choice of displaying the picture in black and white evokes a sense of seriousness and imparts a sombre mood. The high contrast being used emphasises this effect, highlighting the deep blacks and bright whites. Shadows are kept to a minimum throughout the composition, with only a hint around the person's face, further emphasising the stark contrast with the pale complexion (see figure 2, green circle). The composition presents a wide-angle perspective, as if the viewer stands on the beach, gazing directly at the figure. This visual approach immerses the viewer in the scene, creating a sense of proximity and evoking an emotional response.
In-depth Analysis of the Visual Object
Construction of Meaning
In his famous work ‘From Work to Text’ Barthes (1986) explores the changing conception of language and literature through the intersection of linguistics, anthropology, Marxism, and psychoanalysis (p.155). Here he goes into the concepts of the signifier, the signified, and the sign.The signifier is the tangible or physical form of a sign, which can be a word, an image, or any other element that carries meaning (p.158). The signified is the concept, idea, or meaning associated with the signifier. It represents the mental or abstract interpretation of the signifier (p.158). The sign is the combination of the signifier and the signified. It's the complete unit of meaning where the physical form, the signifier, and the associated concept, the signified come together to convey a message or meaning (p.158).Barthes distinguished "Work" and "Text". Where work encompasses the physical aspects of literary works and Text represents the dynamic and open-ended realm of symbolic and conceptual aspects (p.156). Barthes claims that “the Text practises the infinite determent of the signified” (p.158). With that, he means that ‘’the Text’’ is open for interpretation, that there are an infinite number of meanings. This because the reader can interpret ‘the Text’ in their own way. Barthes emphasises the importance of the signifier, which generates new meanings through its serial movement of disconnections, overlappings, and variations (p.159).Hall (1997) says that language can construct meaning with the operation of the representational system. In language, we use signs and symbols to stand for or represent to other people our concepts, ideas and feelings. Representation through language is therefore central to the processes by which meaning is produced (p.1).Hall's "circuit of culture" concept suggested that meaning is produced and circulated through various sites and processes, including personal and social interactions, mass media, technology, cultural consumption, and practices. Language plays a significant role in these processes, being one of the primary media through which meaning is produced and circulated (Hall, 1997, p.3-4).Hall further explains that ‘language’ is a term that refers to different ways of production and communication that function as languages, not just the language you speak, read, and write, but also visual images (Hall, 1997, p.4, p.18). Hall claims that language and cultural conventions play a crucial role in the creation and exchange of meaning, where individuals learn the codes of their culture and language over time. These conventions are internalised and become part of how individuals express concepts and ideas (Hall, 1997, p.22). Hall emphasised the social and cultural nature of meaning, suggesting that it is not fixed but constructed through social and linguistic conventions (p.23).
Otherness
Influential scholar Bhabha (1983) talks about the ideological construction of ‘otherness’. Otherness refers to the state of being different or distinct from the norm or from what is considered the dominant or mainstream culture, society, or group (p.370).
An important feature is the dependence on the concept of ‘’fixity’’. ‘’Fixity is the paradoxical mode of representation: it connotes rigidity and an unchanging order as well as disorder, degeneracy, and daemonic repetition’’ (p.370). Bhabha says that a primary approach in the discourse of the ideological construction of otherness is the stereotype. The stereotype vacillates between what is already known and what must be repeated (p.370). It is a form of representation that simplifies and fixates the image of the other. It's like taking a picture of something and not letting it change.
This becomes a problem in terms of the representation of the subject Bhabha argues. Especially regarding psychic and social relations. It becomes a problem when the subject tries to understand themselves and concerns how others can understand them (p.374). Bhabha calls the stereotype an ‘impossible’ object. The stereotype is ‘impossible’ because it is a simplified and fixed representation that denies the complexity and fluidity of identity and difference (p.377). Bhabha (2004) emphasises the intention behind the construction of ‘otherness’ is to aid the creation of an ‘other’ that has lost its power to signify, to negate, to initiate its historic desire, to establish its own institutional and oppositional discourse (Bhabha, 1994, p.203)
Refugee Aesthetics
Ranniger (2020) and August (2021) both go into the notion of ‘refugee aesthetics’. They both state that the media portrays refugees to evoke sympathy and action within the general public and consequently portraying them as marginalised 'others' lacking agency within the Western nation-state (Ranniger, p.9 and August, p.11). This media-driven rhetoric effectively reduces refugees to a mute, faceless, and objectified physical mass, stripping them of their political, social, and historical context (Ranniger, 2020, p. 9). Ranniger refers here to Bahba’s 'othering' and says that this not only dislodges individual refugee experiences but also perpetuates stereotypes that rob refugees of their individual humanity (p. 10). August points out that there is a Western inclination to perceive refugees as products of isolated crises rather than interconnected manifestations of imperialism, neoliberalism, and global capital (August, 2021, p. 2). Both authors argue that a dichotomy between 'us' and 'them' emerges. A dehumanisation of refugees (Ranniger, 2020, p. 23).
Ai Weiwei’s Pose
After analysing the picture and reviewing the theories, Ai Weiwei's decision to depict himself as Alan Kurdi can be viewed as a call for more awareness of the refugee crisis. It can be argued that this is through a more humane approach that doesn't involve appropriating the lifeless body of a 3-year-old boy. Instead, he uses his own body as a medium for conveying the message. However, delving into semiotics and the relationship between signifier and signified that Barthes explained, it becomes apparent that Weiwei's image as a signifier is inherently linked to the image of Alan Kurdi as the signified. This interconnection, in a way, still implies the appropriation of the child's body. People re-remember the original image or might even look it up again. Through this re-enactment the image of Alan Kurdi resurfaces in the public eye.
Stuart Hall's theory of representation emphasises the significant role images play in conveying meaning and how these conventions become ingrained in our collective consciousness. Explaining the influence images can have in shaping perceptions. Ranniger and August go further into this by highlighting that refugees are frequently portrayed in a way that simplifies their identities, stripping them of their political, social, and historical contexts. This oversimplification, tied to Bhabha's concept of otherness, perpetuates stereotypes and widens the divide between "us" and "them." However, one could argue that Weiwei's decision to pose as the child seeks to diminish this divisive gap. By mimicking the child's image, Weiwei attempts to convey a message that prompts viewers to consider that the plight of refugees is not as distant from their own lives as they might believe. He essentially says, "This could have been you. If I can lay here, you can lay here as well. These people are not so far away from you as you might think”.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are different sides to the re-enactment of Alan Kurdi by Ai Weiwei regarding the aesthetics of refugees. One the one hand, he brings the image of Alan Kurdi back into the public's consciousness but on the other hand, he diminishes the dichotomy of “us” and “them” by replacing the body of the child with his own body.
References
August, T. K. (2020). The Refugee Aesthetic: Reimagining Southeast Asian America. Temple University Press.
Barthes (1986) From Work to Text. In The Rustle of Language (pp.156-164)
Bhabha, H. K. (2004). The Location of Culture (Revised reprint). Psychology Press.
Bhabha, H.K. (1983) The Other Question: The stereotype and colonial discourse (excerpt). Screen, 24(4), pp.18-36
Bellizzi S, Popescu C, Panu Napodano CM, Fiamma M, Cegolon L. Global health, climate change, and migration: The need for recognition of “climate refugees”. J Glob Health 2023;13:03011.
BusinessToday.In. (2018). IRS 2017: India Today most-read magazine in the country, Business Today No.1 among business magazines. Business Today. https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/irs-2017-india-today-most-read-magazine-in-the-country-business-today-no-1-among-business-magazines-98718-2018-01-24
Chawla, R. (2016) Artist Ai Weiwei lying face down in Lesvos in the Aegean sea as a tribute to three-year-old Aylan Kurdi in a bid to highlight the plight of Syrian refugees. [Digital Photograh] https://www.indiatoday.in/india/photo/syrian-refugee-crisis-artist-ai-weiwei-poses-as-aylan-kurdi-for-india-today-magazine-377881-2016-02-05/2
Chung, S. (2016) Ai Weiwei poses as drowned Syrian child Alan Kurdi in photograph. In CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/ai-weiwei-alan-kurdi-syria/index.html
Desk, I. T. W. (2016). Artist Ai Weiwei poses as Aylan Kurdi for India Today Magazine. India Today. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/artist-ai-weiwei-poses-as-aylan-kurdi-for-india-today-magazine-306593-2016-02-01
Häggström, K. (2018). The Photographs of Alan Kurdi : Exploitative or Just What the Syrian Refugees Needed? Retrieved from https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-364034
Hall, S. (1997) The Work of Representation. In Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (pp.1-29)
Lakshmi, R. (2021, 1 december). Chinese artist Ai Weiwei poses as a drowned Syrian refugee toddler. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/30/chinese-artist-ai-weiwei-poses-as-a-drowned-syrian-refugee-toddler/
Mendes, A. C. (2023). Visuality and Parrēsia: Ai Weiwei’s countervisual re-enactment of Alan Kurdi’s image. Visual Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/1472586X.2023.2181210
Ranniger, A. (2020). Servicing the Story First: The Aesthetics and Politics of the Representation of Refugees
Steadman, R. (2016). Ai Weiwei receives backlash for mimicking image of drowned 3-Year-Old refugee. Observer. https://observer.com/2016/02/photo-of-ai-weiwei-aping-drowned-refugee-toddler-draws-praise-ire/
Verberckmoes, Y. (2016) Kunstenaars boos om vluchtelingenfoto Ai Wei Wei. In de Volkskrant https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/kunstenaars-boos-om-vluchtelingenfoto-ai -wei-wei~bd36d1a1/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F