Ai Weiwei: Arresting Art

At first glance, Ai’s work may not seem political. For example, in 2010, the artist filled London’s Tate Modern gallery with 100 million hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds (above). A major art gallery flooded with a ceramic snack food may seem absurd, but the artist was actually making a statement about China’s booming manufacturing industry.

China has become a world leader in manufacturing. The country is dotted with enormous factories where workers assemble products like electronics and toys. To create Sunflowers Seeds, Ai hired 1,600 people to cast and individually paint the seeds. From afar, the installation of black-and-white seeds appears uniform, but up close one can see that each seed is unique, much like the workers who made them.

For the piece above, Ai took an ancient Chinese clay urn and treated it as a readymade (an ordinary object displayed as art). He painted a Coca-Cola logo on it. This work suggests the artist’s opinion that China has abandoned its own history and culture in favor of Western culture and ideas. Some critics argue it is wrong to appropriate (use as one’s own) ancient artifacts, but others say doing so make people consider the past in a new way. What do you think?

With his 2011 Forever Bicycles (above), the artist transformed a popular mode of transportation in China into a monumental installation. He welded together 2,000 bicycles into a giant structure standing more than 30-feet high. In doing so, he removed the objects’ function to build a huge, visually abstract form.

The lines and shapes created by the bike frames, wheel spokes, and tires make a repeating pattern. As visitors walk around the installation, the structure of this pattern makes the stationary bikes appear to be moving. With Forever Bicycles the artist has created a commentary on the rapid development in China. Why do you think he has chosen to leave out certain parts, such as seats, pedals, and handlebars?