Ai Weiwei Sculpture Smashed in Shocking Act of Vandalism | Artnet News
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Ai Weiwei's work was allegedly destroyed by Vaclav Pisvejc, who is known for targeting works of art as part of his "vandalism" practice.

“The man destroyed the large blue and white Porcelain Cube at a busy private opening for the exhibition “Who am I?” at Palazzo Fava in Bologna on the evening of September 21. Local police arrested a 57-year-old Czech man who has been identified in Italian media as Vaclav Pisvejc, a provocateur and self-proclaimed artist known for targeting important works of art.”

  • Mossy Feathers (She/They)English
    12·
    3 months ago

    The man destroyed the large blue and white Porcelain Cube at a busy private opening for the exhibition “Who am I?” at Palazzo Fava in Bologna on the evening of September 21. Local police arrested a 57-year-old Czech man who has been identified in Italian media as Vaclav Pisvejc, a provocateur and self-proclaimed artist known for targeting important works of art.

    Ai himself is known for smashing works as well. The exhibition’s curator Arturo Galansino noted that several works in the show document the destruction of a precious ceramic. The most famous of these is Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995), a triptych of black-and-white photographs in which the artist holds and then drops a 2,000-year-old vessel. It is a commentary on China’s deliberate erasure of its cultural heritage.

    Ai himself is known for smashing works as well.

    Hmmm…

    Well Ai Weiwei, it seems you got your answer.

    While I doubt the vandal was actually trying to make a comment on the artist’s reputation, it does seem very appropriate that one of his sculptures would get smashed at an exhibition called, “Who am I?”