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10/5/2011

Ai Weiwei

Somerset House, London

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 re- interpreting 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 Chinese Zodiac
In the traditional Chinese zodiac, each year is represented by one of 12 animals—rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and boar—rotating in order through a 12-year cycle. According to Chinese culture, the animal representing a person’s birth year profoundly influences his or her personality and destiny. Contrary to Western astrology, which looks to the stars to predict one’s fate, the Chinese zodiac is influenced by traditional Chinese concepts of the five elements (earth, fire, water, metal and wood), yin & yang and ancient calendrical cycles. 2011 is the Year of Rabbit.

Tiger (lucky, courageous)
Ox (patient, self-sacrificing)
Dragon (intuitive, influential)
Rabbit (ambitious, confident)
Horse (entertaining, powerful)
Snake (calm, intelligent)
Monkey (independent, enthusiastic)
Sheep (well-mannered, altruistic)
Rat (hardworking, thrifty)
Rooster (resourceful, adventuresome)
Pig (sincere, cultured)
Dog (attentive, loyal)

About Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei—artist, curator, architectural designer and social activist—is perhaps the best-known and most successful contemporary artist in China. Ai Weiwei was born in Beijing in 1957 and is the son of acclaimed poet Ai Qing, one of the country’s finest modernist poets. Ai Qing’s work appeared in nearly every literature textbook until he was branded a rightist and exiled to a remote outpost of western China. Ai Weiwei’s birthright was simultaneously one of a cultural insider and a political outsider. Growing up in exile laid the groundwork for his future as a social activist and spokesperson for freedom of speech and against injustice.

Upon his return to Beijing in 1978, Ai Weiwei became an early member of “The Stars” (Xing Xing), one of the first avant-garde art groups in modern China. In 1981, he moved to New York City where he gained attention for his artwork that was based on transforming everyday objects into conceptual works. Returning to China in 1993, Ai Weiwei co-founded the Chinese Art Archive & Warehouse (CAAW), a nonprofit loft-gallery in Beijing where he still serves as director. A highly regarded artist in China and abroad, he has exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. He worked closely with Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron to design the 2008 National Olympic Stadium (“the Bird’s Nest”). Most recently, Ai Weiwei made headlines with Sunflower Seeds, an exhibition in the Turbine Hall at London’s Tate Modern, which consisted of 100 million hand-painted porcelain seeds. Ai Weiwei received the Chinese Contemporary Art Award for Lifetime Contribution in 2008. Despite his success as an artist at home, however, Ai Weiwei has frequently found himself at odds with the Chinese government in his stance on free speech and human rights. He often leverages his work and acclaim to make explicit his opinions as one of China’s most outspoken cultural critics.

About AW Asia
Over the past two decades, Chinese contemporary art has become a major presence in the international art world. AW Asia's mission is to support and advance this significant field of art. As a private organization and exhibition space located in the Chelsea art district in New York City, AW Asia promotes the field of Chinese contemporary art through institutional loans and museum acquisitions, curatorial projects, educational programs and publications. AW Asia is a collaborative partner for museums and institutions looking to incorporate Chinese contemporary art into their exhibition planning. It also works with leading curators to present conceptual exhibitions that draw from the immense diversity of work in this field. AW Asia's publishing program offers a range of original publications about contemporary Chinese art, including books, periodicals, exhibition catalogues and monographs. AW Asia also hosts contemporary Chinese art-related events throughout the year, including private lectures and other professional gatherings. For more information about AW Asia, visit awasiany.com.

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

For press information and images please contact:
Dorothee Dines or Inbal Mizrahi at Calum Sutton PR:
T: + 44 (0)20 7183 3577
E: dorothee@suttonpr.com / inbal@suttonpr.com

Press view, Wednesday 11 May 2011, 10:30-12

Somerset House
Strand, London WC2R 1LA
Courtyard opening hours: daily from 8am - 11pm
Courtyard Rooms opening hours: daily from 10am - 6pm
Admission: free

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