A member of the public deliberately destroyed a porcelain sculpture by the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei on Friday night during the opening reception for an exhibition in Bologna, Italy.
Mr Ai’s blue-and-white Porcelain Cube was an installation work featured in the exhibition Who Am I? at the Palazzo Fava. The exhibition opened to the public on Saturday, and the event was part of a private, invite-only reception. (See Video Below)
The man approached the sculpture, mounted its plinth, and deliberately pushed it to the ground, where it shattered. CCTV cameras captured the incident. In an act of defiance, a fragment of the broken sculpture was lifted above his head. The sculpture was displayed in an atrium near the museum’s gift shop and ticket office, leaving the crowd in disbelief.
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera named the suspect as Vacl’av Pisvejc, a 57-year-old Czech. A museum guard overpowered the aggressive male and held him until the police showed up. How he managed to gain access to the private event was unclear. He was subsequently charged with suspected crimes, including destruction, defacement, and unlawful use of cultural assets.
Unfortunately, I know the author of this inconsiderate gesture, Galansino, also the director of the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, told Reuters about his outrage. The curator referred to Pisvejc’s long story of disruptive acts concerning various art institutions in Florence.
Pisvejc is familiar with controversies. In 2018, he attacked the performance artist Marina Abramović, a famous figure in her sphere, smashing a painting over her head. During another protest in 2023, he climbed naked onto the statue Hercules and Cacus in Florence, with the word “Censored” painted across his body, during an awards ceremony.
In response to the destruction of his work, Ai Weiwei reacted through Corriere della Sera by expressing concern for the perpetrator’s safety. The damaged sculpture was immediately removed from the site.
Mr Ai commented, “Regardless of the motives, I believe that destroying an artwork on display is unacceptable,” Weiwei says. “Such acts not only undermine the museum’s role as a public space but also pose potential physical threats, beyond merely damaging the meaning an artwork carries.”
The artist was in an adjacent room when the event occurred. “I heard a loud, sharp noise—unusual, almost like an explosion, with a brittle quality. At that moment, I didn’t suspect it was an artwork being destroyed; it sounded more like a terrorist attack,” he recalls.
“I rushed inside to find chaos. Looking through the glass, I saw that the Porcelain Cube—crafted from blue-and-white Qinghua porcelain—lay shattered on the floor, with security guards subduing the responsible person.”
The artist stresses that he doesn’t feel security was at fault for the incident or that they could have entirely prevented it. “In today’s world, if someone is determined to destroy something, security measures are often insufficient,” he says.
“In the CCTV footage, it’s clear that someone immediately tried to intervene, but it was too late. Filling museums with security guards isn’t a practical or desirable solution either.
“This act raises larger questions about our trust in art and how it is shared. Such destruction reflects society’s growing divisiveness, irrationality, and violence.”
Ai Weiwei is an internationally recognized artist who is critical of political and social complexes. In 2010, his installation Sunflower Seeds was widely acclaimed in the UK at the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern. Mr. Ai works in film, performance, architecture, and sculpture on matters ranging from the Chinese government’s reaction to the 2008 earthquake to the global refugee crisis.
He is known for early disobedience with authority, as shown in his smashing of a Han Dynasty Urn, see top photo, and in the politically charged series Study of Perspective, he gives the middle finger salute to symbols of power.
Over the years, he developed his practice to engage in more significant social issues, combining conceptual art with craftsmanship. The universal themes represented in his work include those on humanity, borders, and conflict.
Contrary to expectations, however, the Who Am I? exhibit opened as scheduled. Ai Weiwei’s creations are always stimulating, prompting deep reflection among those who view them on several global issues. They are also vital in resilience.
Top Photo: P C Robinson © Artlyst 2024