Summary
- Ai Weiwei’s “Zodiac Heads: Gold” is on view at BlackBook, Southampton through Sept 31
- The series reinterprets looted 18th-century zodiac sculptures
After traveling to more than 30 cities worldwide, Ai Weiwei’s “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold” (2010) has returned to New York, the city where it first debuted. The celebrated sculptures are now on view at Mother Nature in the Bardo, a group exhibition presented by BlackBook in Southampton through September 31.
Launched at the Pulitzer Fountain in 2011, Ai Weiwei’s largest iteration of the work, entitled Zodiac Heads:Large Bronze, drew acclaim when they were inaugurated by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg alongside key art figures such as Julian Schnabel and Shirin Neshat. At the time, Weiwei himself was unable to attend the debut, as he was detained by Chinese authorities just a month prior and remained without a passport for four years.
The series reimagines 18th-century zodiac sculptures that once adorned a Qing dynasty fountain before being looted by French and British forces in 1860. Ai’s work recontextualizes these historic artifacts, exploring ideas around cultural theft, authenticity and restitution. Alongside Ai Weiwei, Mother Nature in the Bardo features works by Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst and others.
Launching in September, Ai Weiwei’s “Zodiac Heads (Bronze)” will be installed at Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park led by the Seattle Art Museum. The 12 towering sculptures, reimagining looted Qing dynasty zodiac figures, will be arranged in a semi-circle at Ackerley Meadow.
Mother Nature in the Bardo
245 Country Road 39
Southampton, NY 11968
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