Huge new bronze sculptures by Ai Weiwei, the controversial Chinese artist, are to be erected in the courtyard of London’s Somerset House.
Ai, whose 100m sunflower seeds made of porcelain are still strewn on the floor of Tate Modern, has made 12 monumental animal heads that will be placed in an arc in the courtyard. The animals, including a dog, a horse, a rabbit, an ox and a tiger, are recreations of the traditional Chinese zodiac sculptures that once adorned Yuanmingyuan, an 18th-century imperial retreat near Beijing.
Ai, who has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese authorities since he denounced them for covering up the number of dead in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, plans to be in London for the unveiling in May.
The artist, who co-designed the Birds’s Nest stadium for the Beijing Olympics before then refusing to attend the opening ceremony, has only recently been freed from house arrest in China. His new studio was demolished by the authorities in January.
The bronze heads, which stand about 10ft high, have already been completed. This will be the first time that modern sculpture has been on show in the courtyard of Somerset House, which for two centuries was home to the Admiralty, then to various government departments, including the registry of births, deaths and marriages.
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Though the Ai show will be on display only for about a month, it is intended as the first of what Somerset House hopes will be an annual open-air exhibition.
“Our 18th-century courtyard is a perfect fit for Ai Weiwei’s installation, which is itself a contemporary take on 18th-century Chinese art works,” said Gwyn Miles, director of Somerset House.
Yuanmingyuan was ransacked in the mid-19th century by French and British troops and the zodiac heads were pillaged. Seven of them have been located, two of which were controversially sold at Christie’s. Five are still missing.
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Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads will be on display at Somerset House courtyard from 12 May – 26 June 2011