The five columns— ironically distinctively Greek in architectural style— have taken on a new Greek theme— contemporary Greek theme.
The massive refugee crisis has become synonymous with Greece and Chinese artist Ai Weiwei wanted to draw attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis unfolding every day on Greek beaches.
The art installation on Berlin’s Konzerthaus concert hall uses 14,000 discarded life jackets that were worn by refugees who landed in Lesvos after a treacherous journey across a straight of water that has seen more than 400 people drown in 2016 alone.
Since last December the Chinese artist has been using his Instagram account to document his time spent with the thousands of refugees moving through Greece.
He has been advocating that European governments must provide a safe passage to people fleeing war zones and this installation is the latest project to bring global awareness.
Numerous artists have used their talent to bring attention to the ongoing crisis, including a New York-based visual artist who has started a campaign called #OrangeVest and walks throughout the city wearing life vests, and a Bulgarian cartoonist who transformed Pablo Picasso’s Guernica painting into a 2016 variation depicting the plight of the refugees.