Exhibition by Ai Weiwei

Ai Weiwei

March - Mai 2026

Safety Jackets Zipped the Other Way, 2020
4 safety jackets, screws

“I made this work for the public, not necessarily for art collectors or museumgoers.”
— Ai Weiwei

We all need safety jackets.

At first glance, the work appears almost incidental, as if a group of workers had left their jackets behind. On closer inspection, the garments are zipped together into a single, unusable form. Altogether, the jackets lose their function and become a collective body, suspended between protection and restriction. The work echoes broader questions of visibility, control, and collective identity.

The artwork was initiated in 2020 by Neutral Zürich (Michelle Nicol and Rudolf Schürmann) and developed in collaboration with the German DIY brand Hornbach. Perhaps now installed in public for the first time at The Estate in Mesocco — because what was a museum? — here, the artwork can be encountered by surprise, in a former goat barn.

There are unexpected connections between Ai Weiwei and Ticino, rich with former gallerists and scholars, but let’s keep that a secret.

The Estate is open 24/7.
Search for “The Estate Mesocco” on Google Maps and scan the QR code on site to enter.