Vases with RefugeeMotif as a Pillar

Also present in this image: Tyre (2016), Odyssey (2016), Seven Roots (2018) and Moon Chest (2008). Vases with Refugee Motif as a Pillar is composed of six qinghua (blue-and-white) porcelain vases stacked together as a pillar. Ai Weiwei established six themes related to the refugee crisis: War, Ruins, the Journey, Crossing the Sea, Refugee Camps, and Demonstrations. These themes define the various traumas of the refugee condition. The illustrations on the vases recall traditional Chinese blue-and-white porcelain design, while drawing from contemporary events in images sources from the Internet, Greek and Egyptian wall carvings and paintings, and Ai’s own travel and research during the production of Human Flow (2017). The vases are produced in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, the historic center of porcelain production in China. The quality of the vases, including its form, style, and glaze, match the highest quality porcelain produced during the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).