Ai Weiwei and “The Peoples Sunflower Seeds”

Ai Weiwei has brought his sunflower seeds installation to the Mary Boone Gallery. To be quite honest I really don’t know what to make of it. Originally planned and executed for the Tate London, the seeds are meant to be walked over as well as allowing people to rest or lie on the artwork thereby adding a number of contextual layers to the experience of the work. However, with many things that are made in China a funny thing happened on the way to the gallery.

The paint on the “Sunflower seeds” are made of toxic paint and this health hazard has made for a rather curious installation. The viewer is to now simply to look upon this field of “Sunflower seeds”. Frankly it’s a bit of a bore.

However I’m sure that there will be viewers that call this life changing. On the other hand what are we to make out of a failed installation by a major international artist? Especially, when we refuse to call it a failed artwork? Which, unfortunately it is.