Denver unveils artist Weiwei’s touring sculpture exhibit at Civic Center park
The Denver Post
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s touring sculpture exhibit, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, was officially unveiled Tuesday evening at Civic Center park.
The 1-ton sculptures of each animal in the Chinese zodiac — rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig — will be displayed for a year.
Weiwei is an artist and activist who addresses questions of looting of original art and repatriation through his work.
“It’s an exhibition that has traveled to many world cities, global cities, so I think it puts Denver on that map,” Ginger White, deputy director for Denver Arts and Venues, said Tuesday evening. “More importantly, I think it’s an important time really, globally, to have these conversations around the role of arts and social justice.”
Deputy Mayor Allegra “Happy” Haynes said the exhibit exemplifies many of the goals of Denver’s Imagine 2020 cultural plan.
“Making art visible and accessible — what better way to do so than by installing such beautiful pieces right here in Civic Center park in the heart of downtown, where they will be daily reminders for everyone of the importance of art culture and diversity,” she said. “There’s no excuse for anyone in Denver not seeing this amazing exhibit.”
Taliesin Thomas, director of AW Asia in New York, which promotes contemporary Chinese art, said that a full year on display is unusual. Typically, the sculptures are displayed for three to six months.
“To bring them to Denver for a whole year is fantastic,” Thomas said. “It really then becomes quasi-permanent installation for a year and then gives people the opportunity to do more with it. … I believe Denver Arts and Venues will be really getting the opportunity to educate people on his work.”
Thomas said Weiwei is an artist who is also known globally as a human rights activist. “People all around the world recognize him and his contributions, not only to art but to so many other spheres of thought and especially activism,” Thomas said. “To have it here in Denver is also the opportunity to unravel the back story.”
Or they can just enjoy the dozen enormous sculptures, each head about 5 feet tall.
“Everybody has an animal sign,” Thomas said.
Tariana Navas-Nieves, Denver’s director of cultural affairs, said exhibiting the work of “the most famous contemporary Chinese artist working today, we couldn’t not do it.”
The idea was pitched by Gary Steuer, president and CEO of the Bonfils Stanton Foundation.
“I will say from the beginning when this first came up as an idea I said, wouldn’t Civic Center park be such a perfect setting for this? Knowing the work already and knowing Ai Weiwei’s global importance as an artist I felt like this was an extraordinarily exciting opportunity for Denver to have this piece here,” Steuer said.
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is a reinterpretation of an original Chinese sculpture near the fountain clock at the Yuanming Yuan imperial retreat in Beijing.
Weiwei approves each site before his work is installed. NavasNieves said he was “very, very pleased,” with the location overlooking Seal Fountain near the Voorhies Memorial.
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads was most recently displayed in Boston. The zodiac also has been shown in Prague, Toronto, London, São Paulo and New York.