One of the most enduring love stories in Chinese folklore is the legend of the White Snake. The lovers are a husband and wife: Xu Xian, a scholarly man, and Bai Suzhen, a snake spirit who has transformed herself into a woman.
One day, the fate of the happy couple is sabotaged by a demon disguised as a Buddhist monk and Xu Xian discovers his wife in her true serpent form.
Stunned, he dies from the shock.
While Bai Suzhen possesses many powers, she is unable to bring her husband back to life. Despite this, she fights and risks her own immortality to find a cure – even though she does not know if her husband will still love her when he returns.
Eventually, Xu Xian awakens.
Even with the knowledge of his wife’s true nature, he loves her.
For Ai Weiwei, who retells this beloved tale in his graphic memoir, the legend's most important lesson is that the truth should not be feared. He suggests an alternative.
Combat fear with truth.
An excerpt from Weiwei's graphic memoir, Zodiac.
So what does this mean for the year ahead?
According to Weiwei, the snake’s only certainty is uncertainty – much the same as our world. To navigate an era of environmental catastrophe, digital surveillance, social inequality, war, fascism, fake news and artificial intelligence, we must expect the unexpected.
Among the Zodiac signs, the snake is the most unpredictable and carries the richest array of legendary meanings. At the same time, it is also the most misunderstood. The snake’s actions are not easily interpreted in relation to human living conditions. These characteristics resonate with what lies ahead. They reflect our future with their unpredictability and latent potential.
"The traits of the snake mirror the essence of the era we live in."
In navigating this complex world, we should approach matters with care and sharpen our ability to discern the changes around us. We must align ourselves with the flow of nature and embrace its selections with acceptance.
Ai Weiwei
In 2008, the necessity for truth was made all too clear in the devastating aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake. Approximately 90,000 people died, but the Chinese government refused to release the number of student deaths which were exacerbated by the poor construction of buildings provided by the state.
To honour the victims and expose the truth that the government chose to hide, Weiwei created the artwork Names of the Student Earthquake Victims Found by the Citizens' Investigation. For three years, he collected as many names as possible of the student victims, exposing the government's failings and lies, and providing a memorial to commemorate those who lost their lives.
In 2009, Weiwei transformed this artwork into a physical embodiment of a snake. Snake Ceiling is a serpent constructed from hundreds of children's backpacks, commemorating the school children killed in the Sichuan earthquake. In 2023, Weiwei created a second snake using life vests abandoned on the beaches of Lesbos by Syrian refugees.
Shown here in the Hirshhorn Museum, Snake Ceiling has been installed in numerous museums around the world.
Weiwei created a second snake for his show at the Design Museum in 2023.
Just like Bai Suzhen, these artworks are not what they seem, but they share a form of truth – compelled by love.
Limited edition silkscreen print
Combat fear with truth coincides with the beginning of the Year of the Snake in the Chinese Zodiac. The precise, 10-layer silkscreen was crafted in close collaboration with printmakers at Make-Ready in London. Here the snake – so often derided – becomes a timely emblem for truth.
Zodiac
In his graphic memoir, Weiwei considers not only the snake, but all twelve creatures of the Chinese Zodiac. Riffing on their associated human characteristics, he weaves myth and folklore through his own life story – reflecting on artistic expression and intellectual freedom.
