Ai Weiwei Sunflower Seeds Analysis
Does Ai Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds” reflect the social, political and economic status of China?
Justin Boon
ARTH-271
Professor Farris
Fall 2014
Does Ai Weiwei’s “Sunflower Seeds” reflect the social, political and economic status of China? In order to understand his work, we must first understand Ai Weiwei as an artist, his other works, as well as the inspiration and motivation behind them. We must also understand China as a country and its political climate in order to ascertain a degree of truth. Ai Weiwei is a conceptual artist, architect, designer, and social commentator whose works invariably carry an ironic charge. His “performance”, in effect, is his life. He is the son of the famed poet Ai Qing, who was sent into provincial exile during
…show more content…
It was commissioned for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall and it opened in Octobor 2010. To give some sense of scale for this work, it consists of over 100,000,000 seeds with a total weight of 150 tons. The scope of the work alludes to the way mass production functions and what it truly means to produce in a massive quantity. The work is visually impressive, with a depth of ten cm covering the Turbine Hall. It has a sense of silent power, the viewer can feel the presence of the immense number of seeds and yet the space is otherwise untouched. It is akin to viewing the entire expanse of a forest from afar. Initially the viewers will recognize that they are sunflower seeds, but they soon start to realize that nothing can grow from these seeds because they are artificially hand-painted by people. One might draw a parallel to Duchamp’s “Why Not Sneeze, Rose Sélavy?” It is a birdcage containing what looks like sugar cubes, but are actually marble cubes. You realize it when you attempt to lift the cage and it is too heavy. What you see is not what you think, it is more than
Diego Rivera's Small Images Of Fruit And Vegetables
182 Words | 1 PagesA seed is planted and taken care of
Hunger Of Memory And Footprints On The Flag, By Richard Rodriguez
1009 Words | 5 PagesAnchee Min was a writer who immigrated from China fleeing the communist party after she denounced her homeland. Notably, Min shares her perspective on American social ideals through comparing the way the star spangled banner is treated in comparison to how Min was raised to treat the flag of her homeland China. While watching people tread over the flag laid out on the floor, she routinely would do her best to clear off the footprints left by the shoes. Min showing her determination to keep the flag clean shows both the lingering habits that she kept from her childhood in China and the respect that Min has for the American flag. As a result, Min is able to appeal to the audience’s ethics by showing her dedication to the United States which provided her a safe haven from the communist party.
Peter Max Essay
503 Words | 3 PagesPeter Max is known as one of the most popular pop artists in today’s art circles. His work is easily recognized by bold and uncommon color and line choices, as well as the wide uneven brush stroke found in the majority of his work. “Vase of Flowers Series 60 Detail Ver. VI #40” is representative of Max’s work as a whole. It possesses the gradients, rustic brush strokes and the unusual color choices and gradients that have become characteristic of his style.
The Good Earth Quotes
890 Words | 4 PagesA novel that refers to an ancient China with different traditions and beliefs, uses a common farmer as the main character. The novel The Good Earth written by “Pearl S. Buck” occurs in early China, at a time there were still emperors. Their life styles were different in many varied aspects in comparison to our modern day life. Some examples of this unique culture are: the different women roles, the symbolism of land as power and how wealth affected their traditions.
Religious Worship In The Great Awakening
1574 Words | 7 PagesThe first and smallest of these rectangular objects “springs to life” and your eyes take in images rendered in various shades of black, white, and gray. This would almost seem like one of the most wondrous things you’ve ever encountered and the “novelty” of it would certainly be appreciated and likely viewed in awe. A few minutes later, though, the middle rectangular shape suddenly comes to life; in much the same way, images appear but instead of gray scaled imagery, your eyes take in an array of colors, albeit not quite “lifelike”. One can
Essay On Ji-Li Jiang's 'Red Scarf Girl'
1081 Words | 5 Pages“Her actions remind me that, even under unbearable circumstances, one can still believe in justice,” in David Henry Hwang’s foreword, in Ji-Li Jiang’s memoir Red Scarf Girl, commemorated even during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution anyone can overcome adversity (9). Ji-Li Jiang was a young teenager at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, and living through a very political time in China’s history made Ji-Li into the person she is today. Ji-Li’s intelligence, her choices, and family devotion made her into the headstrong and successful person she is today. Even when Ji-li thought she was unintelligent, others saw she was wise. There were many moments when Ji-Li was reminded she was very smart.
Along The River During The Daoisming Festival Analysis
248 Words | 1 PagesThe Chinese Paintings shows the Daoism/ Taoism in the people of China, especially, the famous landscape paintings such as “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” of Zhang Zeduan. Daoism is often interpreted as a person living a simply, honestly, and in harmony with nature. Along the River During the Qingming Festival captures the daily life of people from the Song period at the capital, Bianjing, today’s Kaifeng in Henan. The theme celebrates the festive spirit and prosperous street scene at the Qingming Festival, rather than the holiday’s ceremonial aspects, such as tomb sweeping and prayers (comuseum.com, chinahighlights.com). The scene from the collection of this paintings shows the simple and honest life in the capital by remembering
S. Buck's The Good Earth And The Possibility Of Anti-Orientalism
1841 Words | 8 PagesThe novel’s fictional version of China is sometimes an unfairly bleak portrayal of the country, and its most shocking scenes cohere with false Orientalist narratives of Western imperialism and Asian inferiority. However, for an American author, Buck writes with unique authority; few Westerners in her era could match her breadth of knowledge about China, and even fewer could match her dedication to the advancement of cultural empathy with China. Despite the inescapable influences of dominant Orientalist narratives, Buck was able to craft a socially truthful, yet relatable text for Western audiences. Looking back at the outsize impact of The Good Earth, it becomes clear that it defies conventional definitions of Orientalism. Rather than assigning the ‘Orientalist’ label as a veiled accusation of racism and ignorance, scholars should instead recognize that—with the appropriate author intentionality and real-world impact—certain Orientalist works could be culturally acceptable, if not valuable
Transformation Of Wei Chen In American Born Chinese By Gene Luen Yang
670 Words | 3 PagesCooper Maschmeyer Mrs. Mercado English 1-11 12/21/22 American Born Chinese Essay No change or transformation is made on its own, it is influenced by somebody, somewhere, or something. People can be influenced in many different ways; this idea is conveyed through two characters that Gene Luen Yang creates. Wei Chen is constantly influenced by Jin, which leads to negative transformations for Wei Chen. In the graphic novel, “American Born Chinese”, Gene Luen Yang communicates the theme, people’s actions often influence change in identity and mindset, by using Wei Chen’s moral principles, identity, and attitude in the moral world.
Marc Chagall Research Paper
1089 Words | 5 PagesThere is no source of natural light in the picture, and the direction of the artificial light is indiscernible. When a viewer first looks at the painting, they see the cow and man observing each other. Then, a viewer will notice the finer details of the smaller cow being milked, the man with a scythe in the town, and the sapling being held by gentle hands. The colors in the foreground are whites and greens, while in the background there are darker tones of green and black. The lines are curved and overlapping, suggesting wrinkles and folds in the cow and the
An Analysis Of Min-Zhan Lu's From Silence To Words
1001 Words | 5 PagesIt came to dominate my understanding of the discussion on the social and historical scene and to restrict my ability to participate in that discussion.(444) If we go back and use the reference again of the electronic tool we can see the struggle of being at home and communicating with her family and having an influence of capitalistic viewpoints and living the life of a capitalist, then immediately having to communicate in a different language at school and being surrounded by socialistic views and living the life of a socialist. Her thoughts were constantly flip-flopping and this became very frustrating for her. If we bring all these struggles into one main purpose, Min-Zhan Lu’s mother falls into silence two months before her death and Min-Zhan Lu attempts to “fill up that silence with words that I have since come to by reflecting on my earlier experience as a student in China.(437) The struggles that she faced growing up in China as a student and her past experiences have really helped her overcome life obstacles and develop her as a better reader and writer.
Gene Luen Yang's Boxers Chapter Summary
600 Words | 3 PagesGene Luen Yang offers a humanistic perspective on western imperialism in China during the late nineteenth century to early twentieth century in his graphic novel Boxers, a tragic narrative about Chinese grassroots resistance against foreign occupation in which an armed revolution ultimately fails. The novel focuses on religious identity, and cultural connections in the face of invasion. Boxers highlights the negative effects of imperialism through clashes between different religions, ideologies and power structures. Therefore, the criticism of western imperialism presented in Boxers could support a world systems theory approach to international relations because it shows to exploitation through westernization and the squandering of cultural
A Raisin In The Sun Mama's Plant Analysis
825 Words | 4 PagesThere are many symbols in A Raisin in the Sun worth describing, but one that particularly stands out is Mama’s plant. It is old and barely a substantial piece of nature, yet it makes many vital appearances in the play. The small plant seems to personify Mama’s stubborn nature in its intent on survival despite its close to death appearance. It also represents Mama’s dream that seems close to being crushed, yet never dies. As a whole, the plant is an extension of Mama’s character and an important symbol in the play.
Milkmaid Analysis Essay
1069 Words | 5 PagesThe composition of the image is observable by directions of lines throughout the image. There are a few diagonal lines in the image that give the viewer perspective
The Sun And Her Flowers Analysis
822 Words | 4 PagesThe book “ The Sun and Her Flowers” written by Rupi Kaur. The book is a poetry book which consist of five segments in the book including; Wilting, Falling, Rooting, Rising, Blooming. The book is based around love and the authors experience with it and the ups and downs to it. The author also brings in her experiences with love written in the style of poetry.
More about Ai Weiwei Sunflower Seeds Analysis
Diego Rivera's Small Images Of Fruit And Vegetables
182 Words | 1 PagesHunger Of Memory And Footprints On The Flag, By Richard Rodriguez
1009 Words | 5 PagesPeter Max Essay
503 Words | 3 PagesThe Good Earth Quotes
890 Words | 4 PagesReligious Worship In The Great Awakening
1574 Words | 7 PagesEssay On Ji-Li Jiang's 'Red Scarf Girl'
1081 Words | 5 PagesAlong The River During The Daoisming Festival Analysis
248 Words | 1 PagesS. Buck's The Good Earth And The Possibility Of Anti-Orientalism
1841 Words | 8 PagesTransformation Of Wei Chen In American Born Chinese By Gene Luen Yang
670 Words | 3 PagesMarc Chagall Research Paper
1089 Words | 5 PagesAn Analysis Of Min-Zhan Lu's From Silence To Words
1001 Words | 5 PagesGene Luen Yang's Boxers Chapter Summary
600 Words | 3 PagesA Raisin In The Sun Mama's Plant Analysis
825 Words | 4 PagesMilkmaid Analysis Essay
1069 Words | 5 PagesThe Sun And Her Flowers Analysis
822 Words | 4 Pages