12 May – 26 June 2011
Ai Weiwei’s first outdoor public sculpture in London to go on display at Somerset House.Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads to be the first contemporary sculpture to be exhibited in the historic courtyard of Somerset House
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei will be the first contemporary sculpture to go on display in the historic courtyard of Somerset House. The first European venue of this international touring exhibition, Circle of Animals at Somerset House will also be the first major public outdoor sculpture installation by the artist in London. The installation will comprise 12 monumental bronze animal heads, re-creations of the traditional Chinese zodiac sculptures which once adorned the fountain-clock of Yuanming Yuan, an 18th century imperial retreat just outside Beijing. The heads will be installed in an arc around Somerset House’s Edmond J. Safra Fountain Court in a close recreation of how they were originally displayed at Yuanming Yuan.
Designed in the 18th century by two European Jesuits at the behest of the Manchu Emperor Qianlong, the fountain-clock of the Yuanming Yuan featured the animals of the Chinese zodiac, each spouting water at two-hour intervals. In 1860, the Yuanming Yuan was ransacked by French and British troops, and the heads were pillaged. Today, seven heads – the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, horse, monkey and boar – have been located; the whereabouts of the other five are unknown.
In reinterpreting these objects on an oversized scale, Ai Weiwei focuses attention on questions of looting and repatriation while extending his ongoing exploration of the “fake” and the copy in relation to the original. The 12 heads are cast bronze and positioned on bronze bases. Each head weighs approximately 800 pounds and measures approximately 4 feet high and 3 feet wide. The head and
base together are approximately 10 feet high.
“My work is always dealing with real or fake, authenticity and value and how value relates to current political and social understandings and misunderstandings,” said Ai Weiwei. “However, because Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is composed of animal heads, it’s a work that everyone can
understand, including children and people who are not in the art world. I think it’s more important to show your work to the public. That’s what I really care about.”
Gwyn Miles, Director of Somerset House Trust, said: “I am delighted that Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals will be on display at Somerset House. Our eighteenth-century courtyard is a perfect fit for Ai Weiwei’s installation – a contemporary take on eighteenth-century Chinese art works. This is an example of how Somerset House is showcasing cutting-edge work from international contemporary artists working today, set against the backdrop of our historic, neo-classical building”
To contextualise the installation there will be a display in the Courtyard Rooms providing background information on the history of the original Summer Palace in Beijing. Circle of Animals will be presented in collaboration with Chinese contemporary art organization, AW Asia.
The show of Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads at Somerset House is part of a multi-year international outdoor public sculpture touring exhibition.
Tour venues and dates (further venues to be announced):
• Pulitzer Fountain, Grand Army Plaza, Central Park, New York (4 May – 15 July 2011)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA (1 September 2011 – 15 February 2012)
• Hermann Park, Houston, TX (Winter/Spring 2012)
• Warhol Museum & Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA (1 October – 31 December, 2012)
• Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC (Fall 2012)
Ai Weiwei will also present a show of his key sculptural and video works at Lisson Gallery, 13 May – 16 July 2011.
For more information about the Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads by Ai Weiwei, visit
www.somersethouse.org.uk/aiweiwei
