Last night in Toronto, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei presented a new version of his incredible Forever Bicycles installation. As the centerpiece of this year’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the all-night contemporary art event that takes over city streets, 3,144 bicycles, the most Weiwei has used of this work to date, were stacked 100 feet in length and 30 feet in height and depth in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square. This was the first time the installation has been displayed in an open air, public space. Since this was a night-time festival, it was spectacularly lit up with pink and blue lights.
Visitors were welcome to walk between the labyrinth-like space that consisted of thousands of identical stainless steel bicycles that were shipped over the Pacific via special containers. Forever Bicycles is one of six projects that Scotiabank Nuit Blanche will be exhibiting through the end of October. It will stay up until October 27.
Below are some photos taken from Instagrammers of the impressive installation.
Photo credit: Zorawar Walia
Photo credit: Jeremy Maxwell
Photo credit: Kanwar Sandhu
Photo credit: tonoariki
Photo credit: tonoariki