Ai Weiwei

Faurschou Foundation, Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Faurschou CPH, Ai Weiwei, 2011

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the colour of the dust tends more towards a rich sandy tone in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. There are a few scattered and faint hairline scratches on the wooden surface of the shelves, which are only visible in raking light and upon very close inspection.
"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."

Ai Weiwei’s Dust to Dust is a fascinating example of the artist’s ongoing investigation into the symbolism of cultural desecration and despoliation. Thirty glass jars, arranged in regimented rows and placed exactly within the centre of each wooden cubicle, confront the onlooker with an unabashed intensity born of the irreversible destruction meted upon their contents: tiny fragments of Neolithic pots. Having survived the vicissitudes of fate for around five thousand years, these archaeological relics of China’s past are reinvented through their shattered remains, returning to the state from which they were created within an entirely novel artistic format, one that is no longer dependent on shape or materiality. Yet, whilst the creation of Dust to Dust has demanded the destruction of hundreds of ancient artifacts, there is a profound sense of renewal and rebirth inherent within the work, which will enable the Neolithic pieces to retain their utility and decorative value for countless further millennia. The granules of dust further reference China’s building boom, in which older, more traditional, buildings have on occasion been swept aside to allow for the undisturbed progress of a twenty-first century megatropolis.

Ai’s destruction of ancient pottery and ceramics is in no way wanton or arbitrary; rather, the act of crushing or dropping has been carefully considered by the artist within terms of its broader cultural and social significance: “We are learning from the past… You have to know it to destroy it. You can only destroy something by being an expert at it” (the artist quoted in: Gregg Moore and Richard Torchia, 'Doing Ceramics' in: Exhibition Catalogue, London, Victoria & Albert Museum, Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn, 2011-12, p. 11). The act of grinding up these ancient vases ironically reawakens in us a sense of their latent value, as Gregg Moore and Richard Torcia have argued with reference to Ai’s ceramic and pottery works: “The sense of something irreplaceable at stake… is matched by the paradoxical way this reverence is reawakened by the sound of its own disintegration, whether we actually hear it or not” (Ibid., p. 13). Dust to Dust ultimately stands as a highly important testament to the creative and social concerns of Ai, who remains one of the most original and thought provoking artists working at an international level today.