Chinese Astrological Symbols

Art review: 'Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads' at LACMA

Given all the harsh news about dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in recent months, including his 81 days of grim incarceration by Beijing authorities under circumstances whose details are still not fully known, there was one thing I did not expect from his new sculptural installation on the plaza at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art . I did not expect it to be characterized by goofy charm. Yet, there it is, sweet and silly. Twelve grinning, colossal heads of zodiac animals are arranged in a ring around the elevator shaft that arises from the museum's underground parking garage. As the glass-enclosed lift pulls up to the plaza, it's an earthly version of a mythic journey from the underworld to an array of celestial constellations. Museum visitors invariably pose for a steady stream of cellphone camera pictures. The gigantic, sleekly crafted head of a rat perched high atop a 6-foot post comes into your direct line of sight. With its pared-down features, trumpet-like ears and rows of perfect, tiny teeth, its identity doesn't immediately register. To recognize the beast takes a few moments of inspection. For all its detailed refinement, this character could be Mickey Mouse's cousin.

In the traditional Chinese zodiac, according to a slim volume published with the exhibition, those born under the sign of the rat are "charming, clever and have excellent taste." (Ai was born in 1957, not a year of the rat but of the rooster -- "profound thinkers; talented and capable, they can also be eccentric.") Depending on your superstition threshold, these attributes may or may not apply to viewers, but they do seem to fit the sculpture. At least, they do until another association bubbles up. The 12 heads -- ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, dog and boar are the others, rendered in various degrees of realism -- stand atop bronze posts that rise out of circular bases.

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