Ai Weiwei: According to What?

China's Ai Weiwei, now at the Hirshhorn (but only until the 24th of this month). A sizable exhibition that brought about a little sorrow, contempt, delight, and "hell yeah!" Delighted may not be the best word due to the weight of some work, but being charmed by the color and visuals could mask some of that material just for a second. 

Above on the ceiling, you can see the tiniest portion of Snake Ceiling (hundreds of backpacks in honor of young earthquake victims). 

According to What? (Installation of retrospective photographs)

Straight (20ft/38 tons of straightened rebar gathered from 2008 Sichuan earthquake wreckage.)

[The tragic reality of today is reflected in the true plight of our spiritual existence: we are spineless and cannot stand straight. -Ai Weiwei]

(I had a little variation of this sentiment not too long ago: see Paper 17.)

He Xie (porcelain river crabs)

Bowl of Pearls (Enormous porcelain bowls of freshwater pearls)

Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (photo triptych) & Colored Vases (yes, millennia-old vases.)

Here's an emotive and informative piece from NPR regarding the exhibit. 

A fascinating day, and I never thought I would get to see Neolithic vases covered in such pretty paint. 

But First

Let's take a look at this brown painting.

But first: Just recently I went to Baltimore's annual ArtScape, always a great big giant delight. The colorful photo second below is from this year, a mirror booth.
The brown painting is from ArtScape 2010. I really am waiting to gesso over it- but first- a closer look.

It says "I AM ART for a hooker buy me."

I took this and some others from a trash pile of about 35, after the public project it was a part of had been dismantled. Passersby were encouraged to pick up the tempera paint and use it freely on blank hanging canvases. Obviously there was quite an array of imagery: kid junk, rainbows, area codes, etc. I guess I've been thinking about this specific brown one too hard. Last year at this time I could have written an essay. In the end here is my final sentiment: "Well.. that's valid."

People will buy anything. People are happy to freely buy anything. Congrats if you can hook them into it.

So if anyone ever sees this, feel free to let it fuel a conversation about art purchases, hookers, art and equality, whatever.

"I AM ART for a hooker buy me" - 2010

"We are 'Weird' " -2011
(Spelled as 'we are wierd')