Ai Weiwei Is Selling a DIY Artwork That You Can Buy Right off the Shelf of a German Home Improvement Store

The Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei and a German home
improvement store have collaborated on a work of art aimed at the
mass market. Ai and the Hornbach DIY chain have launched a
self-assembly soft sculpture, which comes with an instruction
manual and authentication certificate.

The collaborative project with Hornbach is a piece of
“democratic art” that “makes a clear statement in the discussion
about the contemporary art market,” according to a statement. The
artist added that it is meant for everyone, “not just collectors or
museum goers.”

The work is formed by interlinked high-visibility jackets that
hang on a simple structure of steel rods. The jackets are zipped
together to form a circle, resembling the ghost of huddled bodies.
The work, which is called Safety Jackets Zipped the Other
Way and is available for order online, references two of Ai’s early
works from the 1980s that featured army raincoats zipped
together.

The orange jackets recalls the life preservers worn by migrants
attempting to cross the Mediterranean, a highly political
object for Europe that has reoccured in Ai’s work and campaigning
on behalf of refugees.

According to an artist statement in the accompanying
publication, Ai was immediately inspired by the invitation from
Hornbach to make an original work using readymade parts available
at the retailer. The artist, who recently moved from Germany to the
UK described selecting the components in the DIY store as being
like “a child in a candy shop.” Unlike many of Ai’s
sculptures, which are made in China, the components
of Safety Jackets Zipped the Other Way are made
in Germany.

In the spirit of democracy, Ai’s sculpture can be reconfigured
depending on your taste and available space. It can be floor
standing or hung on the wall on hooks without the metal structure.
You can make the work from four, five, or seven jackets for the
wall version. The smallest wall version is available for €150
($160) and the largest standing piece is priced at €500 ($545).

The manual for Safety Jackets Zipped the Other
Way doubles as an artist publication. It includes a
statement by Ai about the piece as well as a conversation with the
curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, plus a certificate of authenticity.

“Art belongs to everyone,” Ai declares in the accompanying
manual. “Everyone can be an artist, or has the opportunity to
create art,” he adds, invoking the spirit of Joseph Beuys.

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Right off the Shelf of a German Home Improvement Store appeared
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