Sunflower Seeds by Ai Weiwei

 

Antony Gormley wrote in Resurgence, issue 268

'As one gets closer there is a realisation that this foot-deep carper is made up of 100 million porcelain copies of sunflowers seeds, each hand-painted. It is difficult not to think of each seed as representing a life and our lack of awareness of history. [...] The 1,600 workers who produced the 100 million sunflower seeds could not be said to have had their creativity extended (though no doubt they felt identification with the work) or their right of freedom of expression particularly enhanced. [...] Ai Weiwei art is produced by others in vast studios where his ability to exploit their labour is intrinsic to its meaning.'

how Ai Weiwei use the workers to produce work: the physical act itself are "self-orientated" but the intention behind is "public-orientated"