Coca-Cola Vase by Ai Weiwei
Created in 2023 by Ai Weiwei, 'Coca-Cola Vase' sees the logo of one of the world’s most notable companies, Coca-Cola, placed on a handmade Murano glass vase to contrast ancient and artisanal skills against new mass production.
“Everything is art, Everything is politics”
Ai Weiwei’s work is inseparable from his activism, particularly in highlighting issues such as human rights, government corruption, freedom of speech, and the refugee crisis. He uses his platform as an artist to address some of the most pressing political problems of our time. Ai Weiwei’s vocal criticism of the Chinese government and its policies has made him a symbol of resistance and defiance.
He also incorporates elements of his Chinese heritage into his work. In 1995, he famously destroyed a valuable antique urn to make a statement about China’s rapid modernisation and disregard for its own history.
Image courtesy of Guggenheim Museum
The vase, cast in translucent red glass using an iron mould on Murano, a series of islands in the Venetian Lagoon known for its glassmaking, represents a new turning point in the artist's ongoing thoughts on commercialisation, repetition, and iconography.
Details:
Ai Weiwei 'Coca-Cola Vase' (2023)
Cast vase in translucent red glass
21 x 19 x 21.2 cm
Edition of 300
Artist’s signature engraved on base
£4,250
Coca-Cola Vase is available to purchase from Extraordinary Objects, please get in touch for more details. To discover more works by some of contemporary art's biggest names, visit our new acquisitions page and explore our collection of original paintings, silkscreen prints and hand-embellished works.