Now on view at Kyiv’s Pavilion 13, Ai Weiwei’s Three Perfectly Proportioned Spheres and Camouflage Uniforms Painted White (through November 30) transforms one of the city’s Soviet-era exposition halls into a stage for reflection on war, peace, and memory.
The installation is made of three mathematically exact spheres modeled on Leonardo da Vinci’s De Divina Proportione. Each is wrapped in camouflage—not in conventional military print but in a custom textile patterned with animals, both domestic and wild—as a reminder of the lives often excluded from conflict narratives.
The project is the result of a collaboration with Ukrainian producers, metalworkers, and seamstresses, and is the result of months of research trips that brought Ai into contact with frontline soldiers, veterans, medical staff, and women’s veteran groups. Their testimonies also informed a series of Ukraine-specific projects the artist is preparing.
The building itself plays an active role. Pavilion 13, built in 1967 to trumpet the industrial successes of the Ukrainian SSR, has been recently renovated by ФОРМА and RIBBON International. Its glass walls allow the spheres to be seen against Kyiv’s shifting present, underscoring Ai’s concern with what is revealed and what remains hidden.
The exhibition is accompanied by a public program titled Addressing the Concealed, with talks and workshops each weekend. The opening conversation paired Ai with journalist and veteran Maksym Butkevych; another panel was led by Myroslava Gongadze in collaboration with Ukrainska Pravda.
“My artworks are not merely an aesthetic expression,” Ai said in a press release. “They are reflections of my position as an individual navigating immense political shifts, international hegemonies, and conflicts.”