Stacked Bicycle Installation by Ai Weiwei

It is difficult to define a relationship between politics and art. Portraits were originally only reserved for the political rulers of state, whereas art has quite often been used as a vehicle of protest against government. Ai Weiwei falls into the latter category, but this time, the vehicle is also what composes the art. In his installation of stacked bicycles, 760 of the two-wheeled devices are arranged in neat, sculptural piles. The “Forever” logo branded on each bike’s chrome frame is an ironic reminder of the sheer numbers that populate the streets of China. While some may hastily interpret the exhibit at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, Italy as homage to transportation in China, there exists a wry, unapologetic irony deeply embedded in the work.