Jointed Stool 2006

Ai Weiwei made this sculpture called Jointed Stool from old wooden stools from the Qing and Ming dynasties. Imagine him in his studio, playing with these found objects, intuitively stacking and joining them together. It’s a process of trial and error, a dance with the material itself. I feel like he’s thinking about history, about tradition, and about how we can reconfigure the past to create something new. The texture of the wood, worn smooth by time and use, speaks to the lives of those who sat on these stools. Each mark and imperfection tells a story. The way he’s connected them is like a conversation, maybe even an argument. Some of the legs splay out awkwardly, others nestle together. It reminds me a bit of Arte Povera, where artists used everyday materials to challenge traditional notions of art. It also makes me think about Duchamp, taking something ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary. Artists are always riffing off of each other, you know? This piece is not just about the stools themselves, but about the act of making, of connecting, of finding new possibilities in the discarded. It’s an invitation to see the world differently.