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attheLACMAInstallationview..August202011-February122012.LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt.AiWeiwei.Photo2011MuseumAssociatesLACMA.Installationview..August202011-February122012.LosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt.Photo2011MuseumAssociatesLACMA.August202011-February122012AiWeiweiCircleofAnimalsZodiacHeadsAiWeiweiCircleofAnimalsZodiacHeadsCastaround1750theoriginalanimalheadswerelocatedattheZodiacfountaininYuanMingYuansEuropean-stylegardenswhichweredesignedbytwoEuropeanJesuitpriestsintheeighteenthcentury.In1860BritishandFrenchtroopslootedtheheadsamidthedestructionofYuanMingYuanduringtheSecondOpiumWar.Todaysevenoftheoriginalheadshavebeenfoundthelocationsoftheotherfiveheadsareunknown.InreinterpretingtheseobjectsonanoversizedscaleAistimulatesdialogueaboutthefateofartworksthatexistwithindynamicandsometimesvolatileculturalandpoliticalsettingswhileextendinghisongoingexplorationofthefakeandthecopyinrelationtotheoriginal.Forthetwelveheadsarecastbronzeandpositionedonbronzebaseswitheachheadandbasetogetherstandingapproximatelytenfeethigh.AiWeiweiartistcuratorarchitecturaldesignerandsocialactivistisperhapsthebest-knownandmostsuccessfulcontemporaryartistinChinaandwasrecentlyfeaturedinourMay2011issue.EarlierthisyearAiwasreleasedfromaChineseprisonafterathree-monthdetentionwhichwassurroundedbywavesofinternationalattentionhehassincereturnedtoworkonhisnumerousprojects.AihasexhibitedinmuseumsandgalleriesaroundtheworldandworkedcloselywithSwissarchitectsHerzogdeMeurontodesignthe2008NationalOlympicStadiumtheBirdsNest.AiWeiweiARTCircleofAnimalsZodiacHeadsLACMALosAngelesCountyMuseumofArt5905WilshireBlvd.LosAngelesCA90036323.857.6000lacma.orgFollowingitsdisplayatLACMAtheworkwillbeonviewatHermannParkHoustonTexasinspring2012.TheLosAngelesCountyMuseumofArtLACMAiscurrentlydisplayingthefirstmajorpublicsculpturebyChinesecontemporaryartistAiWeiweititled.Theinstallationiscomprisedoftwelvemonumentalbronzeanimalheadsthatarere-creationsofthefamoustraditionalzodiacsculpturesthatonceadornedthefountainclockofYuanMingYuantheOldSummerPalacelocatedjustoutsideBeijing.CircleofAnimalsZodiacHeadsCircleofAnimalsZodiacHeadsCircleofAnimalsZodiacHeads