Kui Hua Zi (Sunflower Seeds)
Ai Weiwei. 2010-2011 C.E. Sculpted and painted porcelain.
The material used, the way it was produced and the narrative/personal content make this work a powerful commentary on the human condition.
FORM:
sculpted and painted porcelain
FUNCTION:
critique of what it means to be "made in China;"
CONTENT:
the piece is composed of millions of small, hand-painted sunflower seeds that fill the floor of the Turbine Hall at the Tate Museum; individual interaction - visitors would walk on and lay down on the piece - this also created a sense of shared experienc
CONTEXT:
these seeds were made in a Chinese village that historically had produced porcelain goods - they were made by the residents of that village on a grand scale, hearkening back to old communal work traditions
