Man in a cube is a contemporary sculpture created by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in 2017 for the exhibition Luther and the Avant-Garde marking the quincentenary of the Reformation. It has been on permanent display in the courtyard of Lutherhaus Eisenach since October 2020.
The sculpture consists of two concrete slabs (je 150 x 105 x 52 cm) aligned parallel to each other. The sides facing each other produce a cavity with the form of a seated man. The figureâÂÂs face bears the artistâÂÂs features.
With man in a cube, Ai Weiwei is dealing with the oppressive experiences of his eighty-one day secret imprisonment by authorities in the PeopleâÂÂs Republic of China. The artist himself described his work as âÂÂ... a concrete block, which contains within it a single figure in solitude. That figure is the likeness of myself during my eighty-one days under secret detention in 2011. As an individual, once you have your idea and language, you can extend your existence through art.â Ideas and language are what sustained Ai Weiwei morally during his imprisonment. Ideas and language are what he finds intriguing about Martin Luther too: âÂÂMartin Luther is an important figure in German history, especially with his contributions towards language. HeâÂÂs very impressive to me. An individualâÂÂs free expression is so important to our human development. I wanted to take part in this exhibition to memorialize him.âÂÂ
The sculpture was created in 2017 for the exhibition Luther and the Avant-Garde in Lutherstadt Wittenberg during the Reformation quincentenary festivities and was displayed together with other contemporary works of art at the Old Prison there from May 19 to November 1, 2017. The exhibitionâÂÂs overarching theme was artistic treatment of Martin LutherâÂÂs ideas elaborated in his treatise On the Freedom of a Christian.
The Stiftung Lutherhaus Eisenach had endeavored since 2017 to make the sculpture and âÂÂexceptional manifestation of contemporary Reformation commemorationâ permanently accessible to the public. Supported by numerous backers, the museum finally succeeded in acquiring the sculpture in 2019. Man in a cube was permanently installed in the courtyard of the Lutherhaus in August of 2020, the quincentenary of LutherâÂÂs On the Freedom of a Christian, and presented to the public in a ceremony on October 9, 2020.