Forever Bicycles 2003

Ai Weiwei’s “Forever Bicycles” is a large-scale installation made from hundreds of bicycles. The image is a visual spectacle, but also a poignant commentary on Chinese society, culture, and history. The bicycle holds particular significance in China, where it was once the primary mode of transportation for millions. The "Forever" brand was especially popular, becoming synonymous with personal mobility and freedom. Weiwei uses it here as a ready-made object to reflect on China's transition from a bicycle-dominated culture to one of cars and globalized consumerism. The sheer scale of the installation overwhelms the viewer, evoking the masses of people once dependent on this simple machine. It might also be seen as a critique of China's rapid industrialization and its social and environmental costs. The layered bicycles are not just an aesthetic spectacle; they represent a complex web of social and cultural associations. The historian can look to sources such as news archives, government statistics, and sociological studies to understand the bicycle's role in China's past and its symbolic weight in the present. The meaning of this art is deeply rooted in its socio-political and economic context.