This Show & Tell we'll be studying Chinese conceptual artist Ai Weiwei and his works. Ai is an artist that forces us to look at our past in order to move forward with the future.
Sunflower Seeds (2010)
Ai was born in Beijing, China in 1957. After spending his childhood in labor camps, Ai moved back to Beijing to attend the Beijing Film Academy in 1978. After three years, he then moved to New York where he hung out with neighbor Allen Ginsberg, and immersed himself in art, more specifically the works of Marcel Duchamp. This connection was a turning point in Ai's development, in which he adopted a method popularized by artist Marcel Duchamp, the readymade. The term "readymade" refers to a work of art made from a collection of manufactured objects, this forms the bedrock of Ai's great works. After 12 years of living in New York, he moved back to China, which was going through tremendous economic change at the time. Experiencing firsthand the widespread expansion of cities and the massive changes to their culture, he then developed another important aspect of his art, his rejection of the edifices of power and tradition. Understanding the symbolism of these objects of power, he uses them in his work to amplify the story he's trying to tell.
Let's look at a few of Weiwei's pieces to understand how he uses objects of power & tradition, what he's trying to say, and how they force us to look at the past.
Study of Perspective: Volksbuhne (2016)
Subtle isn't it? This particular piece is from Ai's "Study of Perspective" series, in which he displays his rejection of places of power. The series started in 1995, in which the first installment was of him flippin' the bird in Tiananmen Square. Since '95, Ai has flipped off the Trump Tower, Mona Lisa, White House, and even the Eiffel Tower. The series reflects the attitude that Ai has developed growing up in communist China, an attitude that not only rejects the political structure in his country but in other countries as well. In a way, the Study of Perspective series symbolizes a lot of what motivates him to pursue art.
Don't forget that he's doing this all in communist China, a country where censorship is everywhere and political criticism can get you in a lot of trouble. Because of his continued criticism of China and activism for human rights, Ai was detained and questioned in 2011. He was kept under constant surveillance and was forbidden to leave the country until 2015.
It's worthy noting that Ai is one of the first contemporary artists to use social media to amplify his work, which is what makes the Study of Perspective so special. It's something that was made originally before the social media age, but fits seamlessly into it. Because of his work, many people have done the same, effectively spreading his message and expanding his art beyond his own creations.
The series is a good baseline for understanding the rest of his work, serving as an introduction to his fascination with places/things of power.
Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995)
This next piece is arguably Wei's most famous piece. Carrying on a similar sentiment as the Study of Perspective series, he takes a 2000 year old Han Dynasty Urn and shatters it. The Urn was not only extremely valuable, but served as a historical object that carried the Chinese culture throughout many generations. So why exactly did he shatter it?
Wei shattered it because of it's symbolic nature within his home country. Again playing with the idea of rejecting objects of symbolic and cultural power, he takes a further step in this idea by literally shattering such an object. He's quite literally destroying the past, in order to pave the way for new ideas and a new culture.
When released, the work was highly controversial. Not only did he manage to piss off the Chinese government (again), but he also provoked many art collectors and fellow artists. Ironically enough, the original print of Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn sold for millions of dollars, much more than the value of the actual urn itself. There is speculation that the urn Ai drops is fake, but there is no evidence that such is the case.
Refugee Lifevests (2016)
Maybe you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Over 20 years since his infamous Tiananmen squre picture, Ai is still carrying on his humanitarian attitude and using art as a way to share a message bigger than himself. This particular installation is made up of over 14,000 life vests from the European refugee crisis in 2015. This followed multiple social media posts by Ai, in order to increase awareness and illicit support for the refugees.
A chilling sight, the life vests wrapped around the Berlin concerthouse tell us a sobering story. Burning into our memories the struggle and pain that the refugees went through just to survive.
Never Sorry
These are only the tip of the iceberg that is Ai Weiwei's work. I highly suggest you watch the documentary Never Sorry, a film that goes deeper into his purpose and art. Ai is not only one of the greatest artists of our lifetime, but he is one of the most fearless activists alive. Using social media and his artistic influence, he's one of the worlds most positive forces in humanist activism.
Ai constantly reminds us of our past in his works. He not only reminds us of the past, but forces us to face them and see them in a different light. That we must destroy our past (literaly & figuratively) in order make a new path.