Ai Weiwei - Sunflower Seeds | Artist Interview | Tate
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Artist Ai Weiwei’s Sunflower Seeds is made up of millions of small works, each apparently identical, but actually unique. However realistic they may seem, these life-sized sunflower seed husks are in fact intricately hand-crafted in porcelain.
Each seed has been individually sculpted and painted by specialists working in small-scale workshops in the Chinese city of Jingdezhen. Far from being industrially produced, they are the effort of hundreds of skilled hands. Poured into the interior of the Turbine Hall’s vast industrial space, the 100 million seeds form a seemingly infinite landscape.
Porcelain is almost synonymous with China and, to make this work, Ai Weiwei has manipulated traditional methods of crafting what has historically been one of China’s most prized exports. Sunflower Seeds invites us to look more closely at the ‘Made in China’ phenomenon and the geo-politics of cultural and economic exchange today.
Sunflower Seeds was on display at Tate Modern from 12 October 2010 - 2 May 2011.
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I'm Chinese and I'm totally touched by the profound layers of this work. The Sunflower Seeds are embodiment of Chinese people yet an output by the Chinese people. They form into one massive body; unanimous as a whole, yet if you look really closely, they have their own identities. As sunflower seeds your destiny is to follow the "sun", yet these seeds will never bloom becoz they're not real, their purpose has been stripped off as it was for the people who made them....I could just go on and on about this work....
Liked your interpretation.
Nice ..my rspx x
And the creator of the art can tread upon them.
This is profound
That's right, that's exact the Chinese people.I always empathy with those people, because they are genuine, but that's not my destiny, I won't follow the "sun", and I know I would be "unsound".
Thank you for all for your comments, you guys have made my assignment for art a lot easier.
Same, man... just seeing this video's comment section now in 2021 just makes my presentation so much easier. XD (I'll even quote)
Relatable LMAOOO
Many of the people hired to realize production of Christo's work, didn't understand the concept, but when they hung the Valley Curtain and worked on other projects, the hired non-art workmen, reveled in the results. The same thing is happening here with these millions of porcelain sunflower seeds. People working on the project who don't think about concept or contemporary art, find beauty and meaning in being part of the creation process. Great art goes beyond the art world. It just "is".
Ai Weiwei has gone to the present and historical heart of Chinese porcelain production, brought people together and given them a paid task to complete, and more importantly made a very powerful statement about the history of the Chinese people all in sunflower seeds. I think its astounding!
+Charles Russell ïs a stupid!
yes indeed its astonishing..
He's such a great person ...with so much dept in his art work....his every work speaks for millions of people...I felt heart warmed by his work...I appreciate the work if thousands of people behind this art..there are all true artists...My hats off to all of them...
+Charles Russell It's crap
+A SAID WEE MAN no it's bulshit.
Hello! Please kindly visit my channel to watch the making of President Joko Widodo (President of Indonesia) wood sculpture by Ibnu Nurwanto. Thank you.
Oh man this brings back nostalgia. I had to watch this as part of my art history class in college (in 2011 or 2012). I remember thinking how beautiful this clip was. Today in April 2021, I just randomly recall this and had to urge to watch this again.
I am taking the same Art class, about weiwei work,
@@ElizabethGonzalez-ec5yi which if i may ask? :)
What are you doing after art school?
As a Chinese, I'm really touched by these sunflower seeds. Through them, I can feel the deep love of Ai weiwei to his people.
Could you elaborate how deep his love to the people?! Thanks
I saw the installation 6 months ago at the Tate. Seeing this video now, knowing that AiWeiWEi is held captive now brought tears to my eyes.
FREE AI WEI WEI!!
I remember seeing this piece when I was 5 years old and I lay in the sunflower seeds. Now I'm am an A Level Art History Student and this is one of the main pieces we learn :)
I’m an art history student too!! my teacher gave everyone an authentic sunflower seed from one of his exhibits. my ap test is tomorrow lol
He's a very brave man to have suffered almost to the point of death at the hands of his government, and yet still continue to make such provocative works.
When someone is risking his life to deliver a message, he should at least be listened to, if not agreed with.
makes me want to cry..so beautiful
did cry
truely beautiful! When I look at his work, I'm over whelmed with emotions. To think that one of those sunflower seeds was created by individual people, you really start to appriecate it and it's poetic meaning.
"Art is a tool to set up new questions." To me, that's exactly the value of modern art, even though I dislike or don't understand some of them. Art should be a tool to force us to have an open mind.
Patience, community involvement, love, art!!!!!!!!
Wow, this is truly amazing! So much work went into this project.....and made lots of people happy they had a job. The people who made these sunflower seeds start to finish put lots of love and soul in making them and it shows. Just gorgeous, what a production. Great thinking Mr.Wei Wei! Love from Canada.....I am a great fan of your works. :-) XO
One of my favorite gifts my mom has given me is a jar of these seeds. Beautiful video ❤️
This is something worth respect. Downright incredible. Though I would feel bad walking on those seeds because of all the hard work those people had put in this artwork. If I met Mr Weiwei, I would take an honest bow as he is a genius.
I have only one question - how did he manage to pay all those people? Either way, I hope they are all fine and happy in their small town :)
i assume a grant from a wealthy collector or museum
I am moved nearly to tears by the Sunflower Seeds and what they represent. This art is a powerful statement to the Chinese government and the rest of the world. Ai Weiwei (one man) has made the Chinese government fearful. The Chinese govenment is divided against itself; Divided between, Communism and repression, and Capitalism and Democracy. A house divided against itself cannot stand. The real question is how long will it take and what can we do to help the Chinese people.
For anyone who's confused about why this man has done this act, I'm gonna try and explain, I think his art or the colour that seeps from his work is not the actual sunflower seeds visical form. I think what he's doing is he is reviving culture,history and feeding family's. A town that has no use to a government with no heart. This man with some creativity and a bit of cash has done something quite unique, when this went on expedition we would see sunflower seeds, and when it ends, we won't. But that small town has got so much more from making it possible for some fancy art person to look at that expedition and craft works that means nothing in fact. A seed is something that eventually grows into something beautiful, but this seed is stone so we will never witness the outcome. But it is an inside joke to this man. Because the actual growth will come from the making of the seed, and the outcome the culture bonded around it. That is art from a god who will not get his recognition for many years because lack of understanding and unopened minded people. If you noticed it, then your smart!
Cameron lots of cash
As an artist I see this project as political and historical commentary with a measure of public welfare, though I do not view it as "art". Ai Weiwei has a very broad interpretation of the word I do not personally share, and that is OK.
You noticed it so that you are smart?! Haha, 😆
It could be art, or It could be just another way of money laundering or kick back… not accusing he s doing that, just saying …
@@recuerdos2457 I wrote that four years ago when I was a dumb 18 year old, haven't checked it since or remembered until you just commented. Nice to see a few likes. However I think I was still correct, most art works on the basis of beauty is in the eye of the beholder, meaning there is no set method to be a "good artist". Looking at China and it's politics now, I would emphasize even further into how one person put his village to work in order to make money, turn it into a tourist hall and preserve culture, potentially playing on the fact that fellow cultured tourists won't know what their really looking at, a sharp contrast painting, or a political movement that's actually prevailing a small villages population, economy and history.
I saw his exhibition five years ago in Knoxville Tennessee. A pile of sunflower seed was the highlight of the exhibition, which I couldn't really understand why at that time. I loved all the other pieces though. And now this explains. Really nice work!!
In the end when those seeds poor in so big empty place really make me cry, we are just so small piece in our country, in so similar characters and it is really sad
you are so precious and made in the image of God but the chinese governement never wants you to know that ...nor does any communist regime.
The water powered tree hammers were so cool
He is kind of the writer/producer/director in that he envisioned the project, found the resources to make the sunflower seeds, the space the exhibit and coordinated all the other people involved in making the final art piece come together. He gets the credit for creating it, but much like a movie there are many involved in the process of creating art; I guess unlike a movie, not everyone gets included in the credits... however, everyone involved seemed happy to have the work!
Wow! Cool! Those r alooooot of sunflower seeds...
lol! Who else here is watching this for art hw, coz I know I am...
I love, he is crazy in the good way, most of his artwork are deference with the other and beyond
Numerous sunflower seeds, highly populated country. Ordinary seeds, ordinary people. Cheap seeds, humble labour. People were led blindly in the past. But each seed, each person are respectable, as each one was made by virtuoso. Feel sorry, but that is what it is.
I never had such a big resonance, he made a great definition of one aspect of China.
According to Wikipedia: This massive art installation includes over 100 million porcelain sunflower seeds that cover a 1,000 square metre floor with a depth of 10cm in the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall.
It moved me so much when I saw in Tate.. even made me tear up a bit. Was just so beautiful and deep.
One needs to understand the meaning of a sunflower seed to the Chinese government to understand why the piece is so sad and why the government doesn't like him.
Stunningly beautiful. Thank you very much for posting this. I but wish an ocean didn't separate my person from the installation. Thank you for allowing momentary insight to the process, the people, and the finished work of art. Excellence!
I was fortunate enough to visit and experience the sunflower seeds @tate many years ago. The video rekindled the memories ❤️
This is amazing. Just the scale of it is breathtaking and the meaning and the love put into it..
This guy made me cry for a week already。。。I miss this guy。。
That’s absolutely insane. I always just assumed they were real sunflower seeds without asking why.
Collective effort makes his art
Sharpening Van Wager's 'Eye of the Storm'.
This work gives me goosebumps.
Absolutely genius.
Love this project. It takes so much to make a people and a work of art. He combines the two. What happened to all the little sculptures after the show?
This is BEAUTIFUL!
Incredible and so humbling......so touching✨✨✨🙏🏻
Amazing, I'm fascinated.
Beautiful piece of art, fascinating story.
Thank you for posting this. It is truly beautiful.
A great modern art work, it has many layers of meanings.
One of my top art heros ❤
@MeusOrsa Honestly, I think that process is part of the genius of his work. With all the concerns raised in his work, I in no way doubt the sweat-shop aesthetic is something he seeks to employ. The fact the sunflower seeds were so important to hard working rural people during the revolution creates a rather poetic means to the project!
absolutely brilliant! great piece of art and an excellent documentary. I'm so going to Tate to see it!
have just came from a damien hirst tate video - after seeing this i feel cleansed - i like ai weiwei
The point is that the whole story told in the video was made possible. While you can argue about that story, this work is not about sunflower seeds.
I can't help myself to stop thinking if any of the workers who made this work possible ever seen the finished installation. It's only fair for them to get paid but I feel like there was a chance to revive an aesthetic transformation among these people.
Wow, some negative comments here. How can anyone fail to see the beauty in this project?
Their just filled with anger. It covers their minds and hearts.
1º) (2000+3000)/2=2500 rmv earny by the chinise girl in the movie. 12:15
2º) 1 Chinese yuan (The Renminbi, RMB) = 0.153132 U.S. dollars
3º) 2500*0.153132= 382.83 U.S. dollars!!!
A important point about this great work of Ai Weiwei!!!
In February 2011, a 220-pound (100 kg) pile from Sunflower Seeds sold for $559,394 (well above its high estimate of $195,000) at Sotheby's in London.
wow.
Modern Art is as important as classical art. Not only do we get to build on the artistic ability of our previous art masters, but modern art also acts as a means to express shared ideas or movements in our history. Art is not pointless or a waste of time, because Art is the ability to imagine something new and manipulate something to creation. Art is creation and creation is the staple of human ingenuity.
btw whats the name of the song played when firing the sunflower seeds?
This is truly amazing
I've got some seeds of my own that I wouldn't mind showing off !
@@patricksford More like: do they mean anything to art history to a point where they mean something substantial (like AI Wei Wei)
Like Weiwei, I'm wary of cultural homogenisation. Cultural homogeneity is created by the fear of unemployment, and the sanctions of governments, banks and state forces- it isn't organic.
The seeds were a major inspiration for my new song, 'Trouble in the Eurozone' (see my channel), which is an appeal for people to be allowed to choose their lifestyle, and the way in which they are valued.
beyond words.
this man is a genius, if you do not understand it fully, it is because it is above you! This is art at the highest level
Monsieur, pardonnez moi, j'écris en français. Merci. Merci pour ce partage, partage de culture magnifique qui nous Unis. Merci pour cet instant.
What is the song that is playing during the scene with the furnace?
艾未未非常棒啊！这个视频我看得很感动！
@teresavivarium As you are aware, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Appreciation (or the lack of it) is the result of subjective opinion. I respect, and share, your appreciation of classical art. I also enjoy modern art, and would appreciate if others respected that others opinions are just as valid as our own. The appreciation of both classical and modern art is a reality for many. They can both compare and contrast well
The poignant process of hard labour, chop stone carry water before art. Chop stone, carry water after art. I had the fortune to purchase these after the exhibit, from an auction online. They are precious to me for the strenuous hard and redundant labour that went into making a simple seed.
10:06 is awesome.
Which is the song?
Did you ever find out the name?
Maybe he can make ceramics that can be sold commercially, put money in people's pockets past a one-time project . Mutaksmi in Japan sells tons of dilly plastic statuettes. I'm sure weiwri can come up with something with meaning that would appeal to people everywhere...
But, what do I know,??
😇
Wow beautiful sir ji
Fascinante obra. Exposició gratuita d' A Wi Wei a la Virreina. Mejor con visita guiada para entender un poco al autor y sus razones.
beautiful and enlightening
I don't see why captions were necessary. I could understand him perfectly fine and I'm not even Chinese.
a parrot would go crazy in there.
Superb
Nice upload
Joined you
unbelievable! beautiful
Nice one
This is incredible.
Ai Weiwei. You'll never be allowed to be a potter ever again.
😢 what an artist!!!
Illuminating!
beautiful and tender
There should be more projects for them Ai WeiWei.
@hpbaxter the paint was handmade from natural minerals, so i hardly believe it was toxic.
That's a artistic response to China's industry of counterfeit goods.
So Sweet.
You gotta give this man credit for having the guts to speak out against the Chinese government. If only the other billions of Chinese people would do the same thing then maybe there would be more freedom of speech in China.
Thanks
Beautiful.
I love you Ai Weiwei
@MeusOrsa Key word being 'sponsored', as in, they're being compensated.
2:29 he's a giant!!!
I would like to buy just a handful of theses, is that possible?
10:21 what is the music called?
Me sirvieron los subtitulos.
great work
アイウェイウェイ好き
All great artists secretly mock you with their work.
Wonderful.
Ai. Love.
@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb It does kept 1600 people from straving for 2.5 years
i don't know what to feel about this!
great video