Think outside the box at an exhibition inspired by Ai, Rebel
This is a guest post from Columbia City Gallery.
In partnership with the Seattle Art Museum, Columbia City Gallery presents Answer as Question, a juried exhibition inspired by Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei.
Juried by José Carlos Diaz, SAM’s Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art, Answer as Question invites artists and audiences to lean into investigation as a form of artistic expression. Featured pieces respond to contemporary artist Ai Weiwei’s retrospective curated by FOONG Ping, SAM’s Foster Foundation Curator of Chinese Art.
Inspired by Ai Weiwei’s iconoclastic questioning of authority, Columbia City Gallery and SAM invited artists to channel Ai’s investigative spirit and submit work that reflects the theme Answer as Question. Artists were encouraged to practice and ignite inquiry, emphasize work rooted in research, and uncover obscured perspectives.
Out of over 500 works submitted, 31 pieces from artists across the US are on view at Columbia City Gallery through August 31. From the selected works, three stood out to the jurors for their powerful engagement with the exhibition’s themes and their ability to embody Ai Weiwei’s spirit of investigation. Each top submission takes a distinct approach—whether through political critique, material inquiry, or personal sacrifice—yet all three artworks share a commitment to asking urgent questions that reverberate beyond the gallery walls.
Immunity by Amber Aguirre
“Immunity explores the consequences of a politically biased Supreme Court that has effectively granted the President unchecked power—placing him above the law and edging the nation toward authoritarianism. In the sculpture, a rat serves as the President, seated on a throne reminiscent of Game of Thrones, symbolizing absolute rule. Surrounding him are six kneeling conservative Supreme Court justices, depicted kissing his ring in a gesture of submission and complicity. Beside the throne stands a “Navy SEAL” figure, representing the president’s ability to command military or paramilitary force without accountability—even to the point of ordering unlawful acts such as murder.” – Amber Aguirre
Amber Aguirre is a child of immigrants and a child of the arts. Hearing her parents share their powerful Holocaust survival stories instilled in her the necessity of speaking up against intolerance and on behalf of the silenced. Her forays into art practice and theory since her youth equipped her with potent methods to communicate outside of language.
Aguirre’s artistic process always begins with an idea, often related to a topic that upsets her. Touching on urgent issues from disability access to the broader political climate, Aguirre combines skillful technique, metaphor, and cheeky pop culture references into accessible, narratively rich sculpture that speaks volumes.
The Search for Purple by Madeleine Marino
“The Search for Purple is inspired by Ai Weiwei’s Snake Ceiling. Just as Ai documented the hidden realities of the Sichuan earthquake, I investigated the often-invisible systems behind ceramic glaze materials. Mineral supply chains are volatile, with costs and availability shifting according to global markets and politics. This year-long experiment in recreating purple glaze highlights both the fragility and persistence of creative practice—reminding us that questioning and adaptation are what allow us to continue.” – Madeleine Marino (condensed from full artist statement)
As a trained scientist from New York City, questioning is second nature to Madeleine Marino. From the research lab to her analysis of social forces, she intuitively formulates questions and pursues them with a single-minded focus. In The Search for Purple, Marino applies experimentation and perseverance to cut through uncertainty.
Her use of miniaturization in clayworking allows her greater flexibility to approach a chosen challenge from many angles, while her research into the murky global mineral trade demands tenacity in the face of obfuscation. Through her serpentine work, Marino speaks to the surprising journey of inquiry and the pressing urgency of engagement in the search for answers.
What You Owe by Jess Cheng
“Ai Weiwei’s work is often political and speaks to personal sacrifice. This work consists of letters from the IRS demanding payment and the names and ages of Palestinians killed with US tax dollars. In this work I reflect on my own complex position within the US as an immigrant, a taxpayer, and a dissident. War Tax Resistance is a form of protest in which one withholds some or all of their taxes, half of which goes towards the military and weapons of war.” – Jess Cheng
Growing up in rural Arkansas as one of the few Chinese Americans in their community, Jess Cheng understood from an early age that they never had the option to be invisible. Despite the difficulties of growing up in that environment, the experience taught them to not be afraid of speaking up.
What You Owe is a meditation on sacrifice. Cheng speaks about their process as an aspect of meditation, where the repetition of motions allows them to enter a meditative state. In their piece, Cheng lists out every name to spend time with all those who have been killed in Gaza, and to remind viewers that it often takes time to pay attention to something.
Together, the top three works—alongside the 28 other pieces on view—demonstrate how artists continue to push inquiry into public life, echoing Ai Weiwei’s call to question authority and uncover silenced perspectives.
Experience Answer as Question at Columbia City Gallery through August 31, and Ai, Rebel at the Seattle Art Museum through September 7.
– Julia Azarcon, Gallery Manager of Columbia City Gallery.
Artwork image credits:
Immunity by Amber Aguirre
The Search for Purple by Madeleine Marino
What You Owe by Jess Cheng