Ai Weiwei Han-era Coca-Cola Vase

3D Model

This isn’t a soup can, but it appears to take some inspiration from Andy Warhol and pop art. During the Cultural Revolution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1966. Ai’s father, a prominent poet, was exiled to the far reaches of Xinjiang province. During the Cultural Revolution, the Red Guard sought to eliminate “The Four Olds,” defined as “old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.” The loosely defined “Four Olds” policy resulted in a political purge of “enemies of the state”. Streets and storefronts were renamed, often ridiculously (for example, the “Blue Sky Clothes Store” was renamed “Defending Mao Zedong Clothes Store” lol). The destruction of cultural artifacts, like the Han-era vase seen here, also took center stage. In this case, Ai Weiwei has emblazoned the object with a symbol of global capitalism - a reference to the system of “state capitalism” that has become the new operating norm for the CCP.