Pearls in a Bowl in a Museum

The container and the contained relate to each other as both are made of natural Chinese materials in centers of mass production: southern Chinese pearl “farms” and Jingdezhen’s countless workshops. The pearls are not only ‘made in China’ but also ‘made by China’ through the manipulation of mollusk bodies. As such, they are objects that can be found in nature, but can also be considered as artificially and industrially produced readymades, modified for display as works of art in museum spaces.

Classic examples of readymades are the urinal exhibited in Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain (1917) and Andy Warhol’s Brillo Boxes (1964).[Cf] Andy Warhol forms an important inspiration to Ai Weiwei, who repeatedly refers to him in his interviews and artworks.[Cf]

In contrast to Duchamp’s urinal and Warhol’s boxes, pearls are traditionally associated with luxury. In the case of Ai’s pearls (as well as Duchamp’s and Warhol’s readymades), it is not the pearls’ materiality, but the ‘boxes’ of the museums and galleries in which they were placed that define meaning and value. The concept and institutional framework of the artwork upgrade the ‘Chinese’ pearly matter; the ‘box’ of the museum turns our bowl of pearls into an artwork increasing in worth that goes far beyond actual financial value.