During the opening reception of Ai Weiwei’s highly anticipated exhibition Who Am I? at Palazzo Fava in Bologna, Italy, a porcelain sculpture by the renowned Chinese artist was deliberately destroyed by a visitor. The shattered artwork, Porcelain Cube, was part of a larger survey dedicated to Ai’s work, which opened to the public the following day.
CCTV footage, shared by Ai on Instagram, captured the shocking moment when a man, identified as 57-year-old Czech national Vaclav Pisvejc, climbed onto the plinth supporting the artwork and forcefully pushed it to the ground. The piece shattered instantly, and Pisvejc, undeterred, hoisted part of the broken sculpture above his head before being apprehended by museum security.
Pisvejc, who has a history of disruptive actions in the art world, was arrested on charges of destruction and defacement of cultural assets. He had previously attacked Marina Abramović with a painting in 2018 and staged a protest by climbing onto a statue in Florence in 2023.
Arturo Galansino, the curator of the exhibition and director of Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, expressed his dismay, noting that Pisvejc had been involved in similar incidents at other art institutions. Despite the act of vandalism, Ai Weiwei responded with characteristic calm, stating, “I hope for his sake that he didn’t hurt himself on the pieces of porcelain.”
The exhibition continued as planned, with a photograph of the intact Porcelain Cube now displayed in place of the original sculpture, which has been removed. The show will run through May next year, offering visitors a deeper exploration of Ai Weiwei’s artistic and political legacy.
