Miami art patrons were stunned this past weekend when a local artist named Maximo Caminero smashed a vase from a prominent exhibit. Caminero said that he did not know that the vase was worth a million dollars when he smashed it. He certainly does now, as he has been charged with criminal mischief, and could be subject to up to five years in prison for the act of vandalism of property over $1000. Caminero was filmed lifting the vase and dropping it on the ground, just as a museum staff member advised him “Don’t touch..” Caminero stepped back after dropping the vase and peacefully waited to be arrested.
Irony of the Incident
The piece that Caminero smashed was part of an exhibit done by Ai Weiwei, a Chinese artist that is known for his political activism. Behind the vases is a series of photographs of Weiwei in which he is smashing a vase. The exhibit is called “According to What?” The act of dropping the priceless vase in the photographs is a statement about Weiwei’s opposition to the Chinese government.
Caminero claims that he was protesting as well. Caminero was angry that the Perez Art Museum is featuring mainly international artists, instead of local artists like himself. Caminero has since made a statement, saying, “I’d like to apologize for all the inconvenience I caused Mr. Weiwei. I have no right to break the piece of someone else.”
Ai Weiwei has addressed the incident, but expressed no real anger over the act of vandalism. Weiwei said that while the protest may have been valid, destruction of property was not the correct way to go about emphasizing the perceived injustice. Weiwei distanced himself from the incident, saying that his act of dropping the vase was not the same as the act of Caminero dropping the vase, as it was not Caminero’s work.