For me, Ai Weiwei is the Duchamp of the 21st century: a modern, provocative creator of readymade ceramic art. But Ai is much more than that. He is an artist, human rights activist, provocateur, writer, architect, filmmaker, blogger and dissident.
Until March 3, 2024, a large-scale exhibition of one of the leading artists of the moment can be seen at the Kunsthal Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
At the beginning of the new year, we had the chance to visit this exhibition, and it was definitely worth it. Not only to be able to see the objects live, but especially to be confronted with the (in)humanity in China, Europe and other parts of the world. These are issues that Ai has been looking for throughout his career.
It is not for nothing that the exhibition bears the name “In Search of Humanity”. A search that is always topical, especially now that inhumane measures seems to have become the norm in Dutch politics.
Ai Weiwei: Duchamp of the 21st century
Ai Weiwei started his career as a painter, but during his stay in New York he became fascinated by “readymades”, as introduced in the early 20th century by the Dadaist artist Marcel Duchamp (28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968).
Like Duchamp’s “Fountain”, Ai has transformed existing ceramic objects into his own readymade ceramic art. Unlike Duchamp , he did not use contemporary ceramics, but pots that are thousands of years old…..
Han Jar Overpainted with Coca-Cola Logo
Ai Weiwei’s work “Han Jar Overpainted with Coca-Cola Logo” (a series of works from 1994) is a provocative piece that explores the interaction between China and the West.
By marking an Eastern Han dynasty pot with the Western Coca-Cola logo – the ultimate symbol of global consumerism – he forces the viewer of the work to see the relationship between China and the West through his eyes.
“For me, the Coca-Cola logo is a clear announcement of ownership and of cultural or political identity, but it’s also a clear sign to stop thinking. It’s full of ignorance, but it’s also a redefinition.”
Ai Weiwei
Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn
“Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn” from 1995 is a series of three black-and-white photographs. In the first photo, Ai is holding an urn of the Han Dynasty. In the second he drops it and finally stands over its remains in the third photo.
This urn was about 2000 years old. This work of art is not only provocative but also controversial, as it depicts the destruction of a precious artifact.
But Ai’s ceramic work isn’t always destructive…
Ceramic art: sunflower seeds
Ai Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds” is a remarkable ceramic art that was created in 2010. It consists of more than a thousand kilos of hand-painted porcelain sunflower seeds. Each of the hundred million seeds was painstakingly handcrafted and painted by 1,600 residents of Jingdezhen, a Chinese village specializing in porcelain painting.
This artwork challenges the ‘Made in China’ mantra that China is known for. The seeds are a symbol of the enormous people, but also refer to ruler Mao Zedong, who saw himself as the sun and his subjects as sunflowers who looked up in admiration to this great helmsman.
With his installation, Ai undermines that visual language. Instead, he emphasizes the potential of each individual to grow.
Breaking a pot
However, Ai Weiwei has realized many more projects with or without “objet trouvé”. Such as the revealing works about the earthquake in Sichuan, China (2008). But also other social themes in other places in the world such as “Panda to panda”, “S.A.C.R.E.D.” and “The Death of Marat”.
These (and other) artworks show his search for humanity and a better world. The Chinese government’s methods of intimidation, calls for freedom, wars and the global refugee crisis; The artist believes that we all have a responsibility to take action in the face of threats to freedom of expression and human rights.
As a sign of defiance, he raises his middle finger to monuments around the world that symbolize power.
There is a saying in Dutch, “someone can break a pot “. It means has that this persons deserves a lot of credit, even when something seems to go wrong.
Well, with me, Ai Weiwei can break a pot!
Ai Weiwei at Kunsthal Rotterdam
Until 3 March 2024, Kunsthal Rotterdam proudly presents Ai Weiwei’s large-scale exhibition “In Search of Humanity”
This is not the first time that Ai Weiwei’s ceramic art has been shown in the Netherlands, but it is his most complete retrospective to date.
It offers an impressive overview of Ai Weiwei’s career spanning more than four decades, with paintings, cultural readymades, LEGO works, sculptures, installations, photography and video art.
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