On view September 10 – November 10, 2025.
Exhibition is open during Park hours:
Wednesday – Monday (Park is closed on Tuesdays)
9am – 7pm through September 30
9am – 5pm starting October 1

Opening on September 10, 2025, concurrent with the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly
and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Camouflage by Ai Weiwei will remain on
view through November 10, 2025. The pavilion is designed with the Brooklyn-based design firm
Camber Studio. Camouflage transforms Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park into a site of reflection on war, freedom, and shared vulnerability. Drawing on the dual meaning of camouflage—as concealment and as illusion—the installation covers the Park with fabric patterned not in traditional military motifs but with cats, a poignant reminder of the innocent lives, human and animal alike, that suffer in times of crisis. At its core, the work confronts Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms, with particular urgency around freedom from fear, increasingly elusive in both conflict zones and democratic societies. At the southern-most tip of the Park, a wooden sanctuary structure draped in camouflage frames the experience, inscribed with the Ukrainian proverb “Кому війна, кому мати рідна”, meaning “For some people, war is war; for others, war is the dear mother.” The architecture of the pavilion was designed by Camber Studio to complement the geometry of the Park and the precision of Ai’s vision. The project incorporates public participation, encouraging visitors to write their message on ribbons to be attached to the camouflage netting. This participatory element fosters greater engagement and amplifies the artwork’s message. In merging symbolism, public participation, and the Park’s architectural monumentality, Ai Weiwei provokes viewers to ask what must be protected, what must be revealed, and at what cost. Read the full artist statement here.

During the exhibition, we strongly suggest getting a FREE timed-entry ticket to enter the Park. More information to come.

Camouflage by Ai Weiwei is commissioned by Four Freedoms Park Conservancy and the pavilion is designed with Camber Studio.

Rendering of Camouflage, Ai Weiwei (2025) by Brooklyn Digital Foundry, courtesy of Camber Studio.