Ai Weiwei's Permanent Wheelbarrow Sculpture for L'Aquila Reflects on 2009 Earthquake

Ai Weiwei's permanent public sculpture Figure and wheelbarrow for L'Aquila was installed on September 17, 2026, in the area in front of the 19th-century Palazzo dell'Emiciclo, seat of the Abruzzo Regional Council. Curated by Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, the project is part of L'Aquila Capitale della Cultura 2026 and follows the exhibition Aftershock at MAXXI L'Aquila. The steel sculpture, a self-portrait of the artist holding a wheelbarrow, serves as a tribute to the city's reconstruction after the devastating earthquake of April 5-6, 2009. The work was inspired by a 2025 visit when Ai Weiwei encountered workers and old wheelbarrows near Palazzo del Governo, a building destroyed in the quake. The sculpture also references Ai Qing's 1938 poem Carriola, evoking the suffering of the Chinese people. The project was supported by Fondazione Carispaq, Regione Abruzzo, Fondazione Terzo Pilastro, Comune dell'Aquila, Comitato di coordinamento L'Aquila Capitale della Cultura 2026, and ANCE L'Aquila, with collaboration from Galleria CONTINUA. The article also recounts Ai Weiwei's activism after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, where he exposed the 'tofu-dreg' school scandal, leading to his detention and eventual exile. The sculpture symbolizes resilience and memory, connecting L'Aquila's reconstruction with personal and collective histories.