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Six - Fragmenting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 April 2020

Carl Knappett
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

In Ai Weiwei’s 1995 ‘Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn’, the artist lets go of the vase he is holding at shoulder height and remains impassive as it hits the pavement and breaks into dozens of pieces (Figure 6.1). This deliberate and provocative act does not just fragment the object, but also shatters our perception of value. The worth of such a vase (or ‘container’, thinking back to Chapter 5) is instantly transformed. We might at first glance take this transformation to be one that diminishes value, and yet the artist maintains that some new value is generated, or released, from this act – that it is as creative as it is destructive. The old Maoist adage of having to destroy in order to create is often cited in connection with this act.1

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Chapter
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Aegean Bronze Age Art
Meaning in the Making
, pp. 167 - 185
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Fragmenting
  • Carl Knappett, University of Toronto
  • Book: Aegean Bronze Age Art
  • Online publication: 18 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108554695.007
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  • Fragmenting
  • Carl Knappett, University of Toronto
  • Book: Aegean Bronze Age Art
  • Online publication: 18 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108554695.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Fragmenting
  • Carl Knappett, University of Toronto
  • Book: Aegean Bronze Age Art
  • Online publication: 18 April 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108554695.007
Available formats
×