- 40
Ai Weiwei
Estimate
80,000 - 120,000 GBP
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Description
- Ai Weiwei
- Coloured Vases
- 9 vases of the Neolithic age (5000 - 3000BC) and paint
- dimensions variable; between 9.5 by 14.5 by 12.5 and 35 by 25.5 by 29cm.
- 3 7/8 by 5 3/4 by 4 7/8 and 13 7/8 by 10 by 11 3/8 in.
- Executed in 2007.
Provenance
Galerie Urs Meile, Luzern
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner
Literature
Condition
Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate.
Condition: The work is in very good and original condition. No restoration is apparent under ultra violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Visually stunning and conceptually powerful , the contextual narrative of Coloured Vases opens a sophisticated dialogue between past and present. Standing at the very forefront of Ai Weiwei’s iconoclastic output, the present work is a sublime exemplification of the artist’s paradoxically complex relationship with ceramics.
Ai Weiwei has become one of the most significant cultural figures of his generation in China and internationally, relentlessly carrying out his own personal endeavours, openly critiquing the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and human rights. He operates on all fronts of the cultural scene as a conceptual artist, curator, writer, architect and activist.
The brash violence of the iconic photographic triptych Dropping a Han-Dynasty Urn from 1995, which depicts the artist dropping ceramic vessels that shatter on the ground, simultaneously evokes the shattering of Chinese history and marked the embarkation of ceramics as potent artistic platform. Executed in 2007, over a decade later, Coloured Vases projects a more delicate but equally emotive dialogue. The objects are not destroyed but transformed as ancient Neolithic earthenware vases are individually submerged into buckets of bright industrial paint that instantly place them in a contemporary context, displacing the aura of their antiquity.
Within China’s heritage, the tradition of ceramics is a central component of Chinese cultural identity. Ai Weiwei’s appropriation and manipulation of these artefacts as part of the global practice of contemporary art can be seen as a critique of the political regime in modern day China. In this context, Coloured Vases serves as a leading example of Ai Weiwei’s artistic and political discourse.
Ai Weiwei has become one of the most significant cultural figures of his generation in China and internationally, relentlessly carrying out his own personal endeavours, openly critiquing the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and human rights. He operates on all fronts of the cultural scene as a conceptual artist, curator, writer, architect and activist.
The brash violence of the iconic photographic triptych Dropping a Han-Dynasty Urn from 1995, which depicts the artist dropping ceramic vessels that shatter on the ground, simultaneously evokes the shattering of Chinese history and marked the embarkation of ceramics as potent artistic platform. Executed in 2007, over a decade later, Coloured Vases projects a more delicate but equally emotive dialogue. The objects are not destroyed but transformed as ancient Neolithic earthenware vases are individually submerged into buckets of bright industrial paint that instantly place them in a contemporary context, displacing the aura of their antiquity.
Within China’s heritage, the tradition of ceramics is a central component of Chinese cultural identity. Ai Weiwei’s appropriation and manipulation of these artefacts as part of the global practice of contemporary art can be seen as a critique of the political regime in modern day China. In this context, Coloured Vases serves as a leading example of Ai Weiwei’s artistic and political discourse.