A reflection on Ai Wei Wei's "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn"

Dong Hyeon Jeong
Published 08 October 2024

This 3-part visual montage from 1995 interrogates how we form values and authority. A certain entity/object at one point in time is considered sacred; while, at a whiff of a moment, it could become something to be dropped/destroyed. Who or what dictates value or importance?

This speaks volumes to how we approach the Bible. I am particularly thinking of how the Bible is used as the sacred object by Christian nationalists in their value-formation. Even though they would drop passages that contradict some of their ideologies, it is quite fascinating how they preserve the Bible not just as an ancient artifact but as an idol to be unquestionably venerated. Is “dropping” the Bible an act of iconoclasm and regeneration, then?

This article displays the full image goes into detail about Wei Wei’s background and artistic process: https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/learn/schools/teachers-guides/ai-weiwei-dropping-han-dynasty-urn-1995