Ai Weiwei's unflinching gaze is back on Manchester, and this time he's not holding back. 'Button Up!' at Aviva Studios is an unapologetic assault on the senses, laying bare the dark underbelly of human history like a sledgehammer to the gut. As you step into the exhibition, you're immediately confronted with monumental sculptures that scream for attention – a call to arms that will leave even the toughest of souls reeling.
The centrepiece is 'The Human Comedy', a heart-stopping black glass chandelier constructed from skeletons, casting long shadows across the floor like skeletal fingers reaching out to snatch at your ankles. Nearby, a wall adorned with images of the most destructive bombs ever created hangs over you like an executioner's sword, its weight crushing in its sheer scale and brutality. And then there's the inflatable dinghy, 100 metres of rubber stretching across the back wall like a liferaft adrift on a sea of despair – each figure wearing a lifejacket a poignant reminder that even in our darkest moments, there is always hope.
But it's not just the sheer scale and impact of these works that will leave you breathless; it's the way Ai Weiwei weaves together the threads of colonialism, conflict, and migration to create a tapestry of historical injustices so complex, so multifaceted, that it's impossible to look away. The house-sized flags sewn from tonnes of buttons are a masterclass in symbolism – each one a tangible reminder of the eight-nation alliance that invaded China in 1900, its threads weaving together narratives of industrialisation, colonial ambition, and historical violence like a sinister game of cat and mouse.
And then there's the Wang Family Ancestral Hall, painstakingly reconstructed from ruins discovered in Jiangxi countryside – a towering structure that stands as a testament to a lost era of China, its columns holding secrets, stories hidden beneath their stones. It's an achingly beautiful tribute to a time before the ravages of industrialisation and capitalism, when the nation was vulnerable to external pressures, but also somehow... more.
Of course, not everyone will agree with every aspect of Ai Weiwei's vision – some might find the Lego mosaics or recontextualised paintings a tad too simplistic for their own good. But the overwhelming consensus is clear: 'Button Up!' is a game-changer, an exhibition that will leave you breathless, bewildered, and somehow... transformed. It's not just about history; it's about the future – our shared future – and the profound lessons we can learn from Ai Weiwei's unflinching gaze into the heart of darkness.