The Irony of Ai Weiwei’s Deathmask

Ai Weiwei Deathmask

Ai Weiwei’s death-mask of his dad, Ai Qing. Regarded as one of china’s finest poets. Raises an important question regarding the purpose and use of masks in society. Are masks to conceal or preserve identity? In this case the mask is being used to preserve his father’s identity, yet the english dictionary claims that the functions of a mask are to disguise, amuse or frighten others. A large proportion of Ai Weiwei’s work is related to historical identity and how this interacts with cultural shifts in identity. The piece is a literal comment on the destruction of culture via his father’s exile be chairman Mao during the cultural revolution.

His piece involving photos of him shattering of Han dynasty vases, later remade in lego, deals with the rejection and progression of cultural identity by a literal destruction of historical evidence.

How can we preserve culture if we have no physical artefacts?

Yet in the case of the death-mask, Ai Weiwei is preserving a form of culture for future generations. In this piece there is no amusement or disguising intended. The mortality of the poet is candidly presented. Though there may also be a hidden purpose, to frighten younger generations with historical truth rather than by removing all traces of the past.

Ai’s work usually seeks to reinterpret the cultural history that he has learnt about through elder generations. Perhaps this piece has a special place in Ai’s heart, as of yet he has not shattered it, this could also be a comment on self-destruction however.

If we are assuming identity is a collection of both experience and knowledge of ones past, and if he seeks to distance himself from the past, how long until he loses his own identity?