FODA

FODA is a set of porcelain works produced from molds of Brazilian fruits. The fruits were molded by a professional mold-making team from Germany. The works were created in collaboration with a local Brazilian porcelain studio in São Paulo. The project was born from a conversation between Ai Weiwei and the curator Marcello Dantas. Ai asked Marcello what came to his mind when he thought about Brazil, and the answer was: fruits. Ai then asked him what was the Portuguese translation of the word “fuck.” After that, he sought a fruit for each letter of that word—FODA: “F” is for “fruta-do-conde” (custard apple); “O” is for “ostra” (oyster), which is also known as a fruit of the sea; “D” is for “dendê”, because they were in Bahia; and “A” is for “abacaxi” (pineapple), which Ai adores. Beginning in 1995 with his Study of Perspective series, Ai Weiwei began taking photographs of his outstretched middle finger in front of sites like the White House, Tiananmen Square, and the Eiffel Tower. In 2000, Ai curated an independent exhibition in Shanghai titled “Fuck Off.” The word “fuck” has figured prominently in Ai’s practice over the last two decades. The phrase has come to embody an attitude toward the political and cultural establishment.