His work is provocative in that some of his pieces appear to be critical of the lack of openness in the Chinese political system, or at the very least encourage Chinese people to think critically about their government and then give voice to their ideas.
In the piece below, "Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn", for example, Weiwei is shown as its title suggests dropping an ancient piece of Chinese urn, and allowing it to shatter on the ground.
I think that this piece is very impactful, which I think is in part because of the title. If you know the title of this piece then you know that what he is dropping is very old, a piece of history, and that knowledge makes the impact of the smash and shattering in the final frame more stirring.
I also think that the piece has a very strong social message, though I don't think that I have enough background knowledge about the history and current political and social climate of China to make any specific guesses as to what message the artist is trying to send.
Some general thoughts that I had when I first saw the piece were that it had an element of smashing tradition, or at least of questioning tradition, given the historic nature of the vase. But this artifact of a past dynasty could also symbolize traditional power or traditional wealth - perhaps questioning the way that power in society has traditionally been allocated.
It will be interesting to follow this case as it progresses, and see if and how Weiwei will be released, or if he will be charged with anything.
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