Ai Weiwei’s “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors” to Launch NYC Social Justice Art Initiative
Renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei will launch a powerful public art installation in New York City as the inaugural project for the city’s new social justice art program. Titled “Good Fences Make Good Neighbors,” the installation will span all five boroughs and feature over 300 works, including monumental sculptures, banners, and murals. The project draws on the concept of fences and borders to explore themes of immigration, global displacement, and the barriers—both physical and ideological—that divide societies.
Organized by the Public Art Fund, this expansive exhibition is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the fund’s 40 years of public art and the current global conversation around refugees and national identity. Ai Weiwei, who has long used his art to highlight humanitarian crises, blends personal experience with global narratives, making this a poignant debut for New York City’s initiative to support art with social impact.
The installation will open in October and run through February, transforming the city into a walkable gallery with a message of unity and resistance.
