Sunflower Seeds

Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds at Tate Modern, part of the Unilever Series.

Individually crafted and individually hand-painted ceramic sunflower seeds, representing the vastness of the population of China, conformity and individuality, the popularity of sunflower seeds as a snack for the local people, and the tradition of making fine porcelain in China. Sunflowers also bring to mind an image of a sea of flower heads all turning at once towards the light (or, towards some central dominating figure, like Mao).