Ai Weiwei unveils largest installation to date at National Gallery Prague

Ai Weiwei unveils his largest installation to date, Law of the Journey, at the National Gallery of Prague, Czech Republic.

Law of the Journey is a culmination of Weiwei's involvement in the refugee crisis over the last two years, featuring a 70-metre inflatable lifeboat suspended from the ceiling of the museum's exhibition hall, visible from several levels. Over 250 sculptures of men, women and children, each one with individual features, appear inside the boat.

The subject of the refugee crisis has appeared in many recent works by the artist, including Laundromat (2016) and Human Flow, a feature film that will premiere later this year.

“In this time of uncertainty, we need more tolerance, compassion and trust for each other since we all are one. Otherwise, humanity will face an even bigger crisis,” Ai said in a statement. “There’s no refugee crisis, but only human crisis… In dealing with refugees we’ve lost our very basic values.”