Millions of porcelain sunflower seeds filled the Turbine Hall, each handmade and painted by artisans in Jingdezhen. From a distance, they looked like a gray field. Up close, each seed was individual. Ai turned mass quantity into human labor, memory, and quiet political force.
Hand-painted porcelain seeds, produced through traditional Chinese ceramic processes by skilled artisans.
Sunflower seeds recall Mao-era imagery, mass collectivism, hunger, sharing, individuality, and the hidden handwork inside “Made in China.”
The work speaks to globalization, Chinese labor, craft history, and political memory.
“Everything is art. Everything is politics.”
It became a landmark of large-scale contemporary installation and socially engaged material practice.
What did this stir in you?