Bologna, man purposely destroys Ai Weiwei work at Palazzo Fava exhibition

During the opening of Ai Weiwei ’s exhibition in Bologna, a man purposely destroyed one of the Chinese artist’s works, Porcelaine Cube from 2009, a 120-cm by 120-cm cube made of porcelain. The vandal is Czech citizen Vaclav Pisvejc, who is already known to have engaged in similar actions in the past: he had assaulted Marina Abramovic by breaking a painting over her head, daubed Urs Fischer’s Big Clay work, hovered dangerously on the terrace of the Uffizi to meet with director Eike Schmidt, burned the black drape hanging from the copy of the David in Piazza Signoria in 2022 after the start of the war in Ukraine (an episode that cost him six months in prison: the gesture had caused 15,000 euros worth of damage to the statue), and more recently, a year ago, he had climbed naked onto Baccio Bandinelli’sHercules and Cacus in Piazza della Signoria in Florence.

Ai Weiwei’s work, located in the atrium of Palazzo Fava near the ticket office and bookshop, was shattered. The man, after destroying the sculpture, was immediately stopped by security officers and was then handed over to the police on charges of destruction of cultural property, a crime under Article 518 of the Criminal Code, the penalties for which were recently toughened by the so-called “ecovandals law” strongly advocated by former minister Sangiuliano: the 58-year-old Czech now faces imprisonment of two to five years and a fine of 2.500 to 15,000 euros.

“Unfortunately, I know the author of this reckless act,” the curator of the exhibition, Arturo Galansino, told Corriere , “for a series of episodes of disturbance and damage over the years involving various exhibitions and institutions in Florence. On this occasion, in addition to the serious damage inflicted on the work, it is regrettable that this gesture has disturbed an evening dedicated to art and culture, which should have taken place in an atmosphere of sharing and harmony.” Ai Weiwei went to the lobby of Palazzo Fava to see what had happened, but he did not comment on the incident: he merely said he did not know the man and added, “I hope he did not hurt himself with the pieces of porcelain.” The work has been replaced with a photographic reproduction of it.

Image: Ai Weiwei, Porcelain Cube (2009; porcelain, 120 x 120 x 120 cm). Photo: Ela Bialkowska, OKNO Studio. Courtesy of Ai Weiwei and Continua Gallery.

Bologna, man purposely destroys Ai Weiwei work at Palazzo Fava exhibition

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.