‘Sunflower Seeds’ at Tate Modern sows a new trend

Talented Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is the first one from the Asia-Pacific region to be commissioned the prestigious Unilever Series for the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern.

His ‘Sunflower Seeds’ made up of millions of tiny works - each apparently identical, but unique - makes for an unforgettable spectacle. Poured into the Turbine Hall’s vast industrial space, the 100 million seeds together form an infinite landscape.

It’s both intimate and epic backed by exquisite miniaturist craftsmanship. Each life-sized sunflower seed husk, individually sculpted and painted, is crafted by hundreds of skilled specialists in Jingdezhen’s small-scale workshops. They all seem realistic, and are individually produced - intricately hand-crafted in porcelain, almost synonymous with China.

The artist has deftly manipulated traditional modes of crafting, historically one of his home nation’s most prized exports. ‘Sunflower Seeds’ prompts the viewer to inspect more closely the ‘Made in China’ phenomenon. At another level, it refers to the geo-politics of economic and cultural exchange today.

Born in Beijing in 1957, Ai Weiwei is among the most influential figures in contemporary Chinese art. In his multi-faceted roles as conceptual artist, critic, designer, architect and curator, he encompasses a wide array of challenging and often provocative activity. Underlining his achievements, an accompanying note states:

“He has played a key role in the development of contemporary Chinese art over the last two decades, from his role in the radical avant-garde ‘Stars Group’ in 1979, to his collaboration with Herzog & de Meuron in designing the national ‘Bird's Nest’ stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.”

The artist is using Twitter to invite mass participation in the intriguing project that seeks active engagement on a mass scale. He also invites visitors to record a video at the venue, either posing him a question or answering one of his own questions.

Meanwhile, in another curious development, the gallery has decided not to let public walk across the massive installation. Although porcelain is a very robust material, the interaction of visitors with the work can cause dust that could be harmful to health because of repeated inhalation, it is feared.