If there's any place known for interesting art pieces, it's NYC.
The
Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads installation, located outside of Central Park, at the Pulitzer Fountain is definitely getting some attention. You can't help but see it – the head with the base is about 10 feet high – each of the heads by itself is about 4 feet by 3 feet
Felix Andrews via Wikimedia Commons
and weighs about 800 pounds. It's the first major public art sculpture by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Ai Weiwei is the director of the Chinese Art Archive & Warehouse in Beijing – a nonprofit loft gallery which he co-founded. Additionally, he's an activist, curator and of course, an artist.
The exhibit is comprised of twelve bronze animal head statues that represent the Chinese zodiac – the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and the boar. They rotate in order on a 12 year cycle. Each animal represents a birth year and is said to influence a person's personality and future.
The Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads installation is touring the world from Asia to the United States and will be on display in New York City until July 15, 2011. Please view the
website about the installation for more information.
