Ai Weiwei Lecture by Chip Tom

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Heather James Senior Curator Chip Tom lectures about Ai Weiwei Circle of Animals – Zodiac Heads: Gold

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AI WEIWEI (b. 1957)

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The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany.
The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany. The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany. The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany. The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany. The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany. The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany. The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in. <br> <br>Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br>Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. <br>Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. <br>Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. <br>Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. <br>Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. <br>Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. <br>Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. <br>Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in. <br> <br>World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom. <br> <br>These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original. <br> <br>Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany.
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold2010 bronze with gold patina
Provenance
Private Collection, California
Exhibition
Palm Springs, California, Palm Springs Art Museum, Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold, December 20, 2014-May 31, 2015
Portland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold, May 23, 2015-September 20, 2015
Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum, Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold, October 3, 2015-January 31, 2016
Tucson, Arizona, Tucson Art Museum, Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold February 13, 2016-June 26, 2016
Reno, Nevad...More...a, Nevada Art Museum, Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold July 23, 2016-October 23, 2016
Rockland, Maine, Farnsworth Museum of Art, Rothschild Gallery, Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold, March 24, 2018-December 30, 2018
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The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in.

Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in.
Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in.
Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in.
Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in.
Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in.
Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in.
Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in.
Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in.
Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in.
Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in.
Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in.
Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in.

World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom.

These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original.

Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany.
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