“I started working with Fine Cell Work when they showed me the possibilities. I was to provide a creation or design for people who were in jail to work on. For me that was a very fascinating idea, myself having been in jail and many of my friends have been in jail.
This offered a very good opportunity for prisoners to reach out and think about the issues [faced] in the real world. The real world can sometimes [feel like] a prison, even for those people who have not committed a crime. Their lives can still feel like prison. That’s why I created this piece.
We had many discussions back and forth and as a result, the piece has come back surprisingly beautiful. It has really been done with care and sensitivity. The topic is powerful – it is about refugees, about Human Flow. I think people in prison conditions may understand the topic better and several of the prisoners have written me letters which are very emotional.
From the bottom of my heart, I feel very grateful. I think this has been a healthy project and has turned out to be fantastic.”
- Ai Weiwei