As a lifelong admirer of Ai Weiwei‘s fearless and thought-provoking artistry, I was both saddened and amused by the recent incident at his exhibition in Bologna. While it’s disheartening to see one of his masterpieces destroyed, it seems that chaos and controversy follow this artist wherever he goes – even when it’s orchestrated by a misguided individual like Vaclav Pisvejc.
It’s not unexpected that Ai Weiwei often provokes controversy. This renowned Chinese dissident artist frequently challenges authority figures worldwide, including recently questioning artificial intelligence through a significant public installation he displayed with CIRCA at London’s Piccadilly Circus. However, over the weekend at Weiwei’s latest exhibition in Palazzo Fava, Bologna, things took an unexpected turn when a 57-year-old Czech man decided to create a scene by intentionally damaging one of the artist’s sculptures.
According to accounts, Vaclav Pisvejc had gained notoriety among art circles for causing chaos at exhibitions. In 2018, he destroyed a painting by Marina Abramović, and on several other occasions, he caused trouble. During the opening night of Weiwei’s solo show titled “Who am I?“, surveillance footage shows Pisvejc knocking over the sculpture named “Porcelain Cube” from its pedestal and lifting a shard of the broken piece above his head. The exhibition’s curator, Arturo Galansino, expressed disappointment saying, “Regrettably, I am familiar with this individual from a number of disturbing incidents involving various exhibitions and art institutions in Florence over the years.
It remains unclear how Pisvejc managed to get into the event, since it was exclusively by invitation. However, he was promptly apprehended following his destruction of the artwork. Actor Weiwei subsequently shared a post on Instagram about the incident, expressing hope that Pisvejc didn’t injure himself while shattering the porcelain pieces, as he commented: “I sincerely hope he didn’t get hurt by the fragments.
What is this about? Provides an extensive retrospective of Ai Weiwei’s work over his career, focusing on his examination of power structures and further investigations into artificial intelligence. The show runs at the location in Bologna until April 4, 2025.
Palazzo Fava
Via Manzoni, 2,
40121 Bologna, Italy
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2024-09-23 12:55