Oil Spill
Ai Weiwei
艾未未
Production date
2006
Object Detail
Media
porcelain
Measurements
12 pieces, dimensions variable
Notes
Oil Spill (2006) consists of black glazed porcelain puddles that appear to spill across the gallery floor. Fired at the high temperatures required for the finest porcelain, their shiny reflective surfaces simulate the liquid properties of oil. Ai Weiwei asks us to reconsider notions of value; to contemplate the Faustian bargain that has brought unprecedented levels of pollution and environmental destruction in the wake of China’s urbanisation and modernisation, and its insatiable demand for fossil fuels.
Accession number
2007.001