Grapes

Also present in this image: The Animal That Looks Like a Llama (But is Really an Alpaca) | 2015Grapes is a work consisting of 32 stools from the Qing Dynasty joined together using traditional Chinese woodworking techniques. The work traces its roots back to the mid-1990s when Ai Weiwei began creating a series of furniture works that sought to subvert the objects’ usefulness. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), many temples and cultural relics, considered part of the Old Culture, were destroyed. In this series of works, Ai Weiwei reconfigures furniture (such as stools, tables, benches, pillars and doors) into “useless” objects, without altering the original patina or using any outside implements. Ai said, “I did not want to do anything new. I wanted to use something old in its own logic.”