Walls and fences are topical right now, and with good reason. 

They're generally stark and intimidating, and inherently divisive. They're also used to pointedly enclose borders, and in the process differentiate us from them.

But art always finds a way to bend the rules.

Ai Weiwei had firsthand experience as an immigrant in the United States in the 1980s, and his latest project as an artist and an activist is called Ai Weiwei: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Thoughts on nationalism, migration, and the sociopolitical battles of our times will be portrayed in the works sprinkled throughout the city, informed by Weiwei's life. 

Born in China, he was displaced during the Cultural Revolution, experienced life as an immigrant in NYC, and more recently has been persecuted for his work as an activist.

He'll be putting up over 100 fence sculptures this fall as part of the 40th Anniversary exhibition of the Public Art Fund.

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So far, we know for sure that confirmed sites include flushing, Downtown Brooklyn, Central Park, and the Lower East Side. 

According to TimeOut NY, the pieces will use metal security fencing as a motif and transform it according to the existing urban landscape.

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The installations officially open on October 12th, but we'll get more announcements in the coming months to hype things up. 

[Feature Image Courtesy Gothamist] [via TimeOut NY] 

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