As explained of these works, ‘the actions imposed on antique Neolithic and Han pots represent the destruction of conventional or established values’ (Karen Smith, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Bernard Fibicher, Ai Weiwei, New York, 2009, p. 104). Adding dimension to the Duchampian notion of the readymade, Ai’s vases possess an inherent cultural worth before his interference. In line with Joseph Beuys’ preoccupation with politics and inciting social change Ai deconstructs preconceived artistic and political ideals and challenges freedom of expression, Coca-Cola questions the role of everyday objects, reminding the viewer of the value of tangible matter as well as the signifcance of social responsibility and identity.
Andy Warhol, Green Coca Cola Bottles, 1962, acrylic, screenprint, and graphite pencil on canvas, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York © Andy Warhol Foundation/ DACS 2017/ Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York; Registered Trademark, The Coca Cola Company. All rights reserved. Image: Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
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Opposing a handmade Chinese relic with a highly commercial logo, the present work interrogates the way cultural heritage is reliant on familiar symbols. ‘What appears at frst like the sublimation of an ancient object’s fnancial value and cultural worth into a diferent yet parallel carrier of updated value and worth also serves as a satire of the ruling regime’s approach to its patrimony, and of contemporary China’s curious relation to its past, a situation where destruction of historical artefacts happens almost daily’ (Philip Tinari, Ai Weiwei: Dropping the Urn Ceramic Works, 5000 BCE-2010 CE, exh. cat., Arcadia University Art Gallery, Philadelphia, 2010). Decontextualizing the consumerist image and brandishing it onto a fragile and endangered artefact, Ai wittily and unfailingly challenges the viewer to reconsider his collective identity. Categorical in his struggle for the sovereignty of expression, Ai refused to submit to conformity; his conceptual outlook rebels against the limitations of society. Through his public controversy the artist has surfaced as one of the most relevant artists in contemporary practice. Intelligently questioning the interaction between art, history, culture, politics and the individual, Ai’s diverse, controversial and varied oeuvre consistently interrogates the notion of identity within an ever-changing society. Pivotal in the artist’s sustained investigation of present-day issues, Coca-Cola examines the crucial subject of mass production, a staple in the discursive and confrontational realm of contemporary art.
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