At the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, there’s a strange exhibit on show: a single iPad stands on a white pedestal. It’s not for visitors to play with; instead, it’s a piece of art by Li Liao.
The New Yorker explains the concept behind the piece:
While Americans hash out the moral ups and downs of having our electronics produced by Chinese factory hands, a young performance artist named Li Liao decided to jump into the middle of it. He got an assembly-line job making iPads, and forty-five days later he used his wages to buy one. As an exhibit, he put the iPad on a pedestal, tacked up his uniform and badges, and framed his contract.
The New Yorker claims that it is a “strangely addictive ready-made tableau about the intersection of money, aspiration, and technology.” But—as the age-old conversation goes—is it really art? What do you think? [New Yorker via Verge]
Image by New Yorker
