Ai Weiwei's monumental glass chandelier confronts death at Rome's Baths of Diocletian
In Rome's Baths of Diocletian, Ai Weiwei's chandelier, titled 'La Commedia Umana,' is currently displayed in Aula XI. This impressive piece, composed of 2,000 glass fragments, stands eight meters tall and six meters wide, making it one of the largest glass sculptures that blend traditional and innovative methods. Its exhibition coincides with Ai Weiwei's debut as a director at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, where he presents Puccini's Turandot. The chandelier is set against a backdrop of a third-century AD mosaic and the tombs of notable figures, including Cardinal Antonio Barberini. Ai Weiwei emphasizes that the artwork links mortality with everyday life and alludes to modern tragedies, such as migrants perishing at sea and victims of the Ukraine conflict.
Key facts
- Ai Weiwei's 'La Commedia Umana' is a black glass chandelier made of 2,000 pieces from Studio Berengo, Murano.
- The sculpture depicts human anatomical fragments and measures 8m high by 6m wide.
- It is installed in the Aula XI of the Baths of Diocletian, Rome, in the former natatio pool.
- The Baths of Diocletian were built between 298 and 306 AD and could hold 3,000 people.
- The work is shown alongside a 3rd-century AD mosaic from the Via Appia with a skeleton and the motto 'Know thyself'.
- Ai Weiwei is also directing Puccini's Turandot at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, his theatrical debut.
- Nearby crypts at Santa Maria dell'Immacolata Concezione and Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte contain bones of thousands.
- Ai Weiwei connects the chandelier to contemporary deaths: migrants, pandemic, and Ukraine war.
- The title references Honoré de Balzac's 'La Comédie Humaine'.
- The work combines traditional Murano glass techniques with experimental methods.
Entities
Artists
- Ai Weiwei
- Honoré de Balzac
- Leonardo Sciascia
- Petronius
- Maria Elisa Garcia Barraco
- Stefania Macioce
- Ludovico Pratesi
- Giorgia Basili
Institutions
- Studio Berengo
- Baths of Diocletian
- Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
- Santa Maria dell'Immacolata Concezione
- Santa Maria dell'Orazione e Morte
- Artribune
- Via Appia
- Murano
- Terme di Diocleziano
- Galleria Continua
- Hotel St. Regis
- Teatro dell'Opera
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- Murano
- Venice
- Via Veneto
- Via Giulia
- Mediterranean Sea
- Ukraine