Arcadia University Art Gallery has a reputation for bringing the work of internationally acclaimed visual artists to Glenside. In fact, two artists featured in Complex magazine’s “The 50 Most Iconic Artworks of the Past Five Years” have held solo exhibitions on campus. Olafur Eliasson, whose installation Your colour memory was exhibited at Arcadia in 2004—the first of his light chambers to be presented in the United States—is included on the list with his New York City Waterfalls (2008). Chinese artist Ai Weiwei appears on the list twice for “Grass Mud Horse Style” (2012) and “Sunflower Seeds” (2010). The latter had its debut at Arcadia in the exhibition Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn. Both Arcadia exhibitions were funded by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. View the complete list of “50 Most Iconic Artworks” at complex.com.

In February, the Gallery will showcase the work of another internationally celebrated artist when it presents JG, a new film project by Tacita Dean. Find out more. Dean’s exhibition at Arcadia, along with the Gallery’s shows for Olafur Eliasson and Ai Weiwei, were initiated prior to all three of these artists’ commissions for the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.

In the following interview, Assistant Professor Gregg Moore and Gallery Director Richard Torchia look back on co-curating Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn.

Video produced by JoLynne Bremmer ’10