Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold

The installation consists of a dozen gold-gilt bronze sculptures representing the animal symbols from the traditional Chinese zodiac. The artist Ai Weiwei has created two series which have toured internationally: a monumental outdoor bronze edition and a smaller-scaled gold edition for display indoors. The artist drew inspiration for the twelve heads from those originally located at Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), an imperial retreat of palaces and European-style gardens built outside of Beijing in the 18th and 19th centuries by Emperor Qianlong. Designed and engineered by two European Jesuits, Giuseppe Castiglione and Michel Benoist, the heads originally functioned as an ornate fountain clock that would spout water at two-hour intervals.

 

Once accessible only to the elite of 18th-century Chinese society, the garden was destroyed and looted by Anglo-French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War, displacing the original zodiac heads. While seven of the heads are known to exist, (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Horse, Monkey, and Pig), five have been repatriated to China and the ownership of two remains contested. Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in Ai’s work of the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original.

 

Ai Weiwei (born 1957, Beijing, China) is a renowned contemporary artist, architectural designer, and social activist who employs a wide range of media. He has been openly critical of the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and record of human rights violations, investigated government corruption and cover-ups, and was held for 81 days at an undisclosed location in 2011. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, he is currently prohibited from leaving Beijing without permission.

 

Created in 2010, Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads collection consists of 2 sets.  The installation on view at the Portland Art Museum is one of eight smaller gold-plated editions with four artist’s proofs, intended for interior display and between 20 and 30 inches in height. Another set was produced as large editions in bronze, almost 10 feet high and intended for outdoor display. The sculptures were showcased at the Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza, New York, in May 2011, and since that time they’ve been displayed in museums and other sites around the world, including National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia; Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin; and The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego.

 

“We’re delighted to present this important work by one of the world’s leading contemporary artists,” said Brian Ferriso, The Marilyn H. and Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr. Director. “Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals reflects the Museum’s commitment to the art of today, and it furthers our mission of bringing the world to Oregon. Ai Weiwei’s work reveals layers of history while bringing attention to current economic, political and collecting issues.”