Ai Weiwei, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, 2010. Gold-plated bronze, dimensions vary. Installation view at Paul Kasmin Gallery, 515 West 27 Street. Photo by Cari Vuong. Courtesy Paul Kasmin Gallery
Don’t miss the final chance to see Ai Weiwei’s striking exhibition of gold zodiac heads on view at Paul Kasmin Gallery’s new West 27th Street space (formerly the Bungalow 8 nightclub) through Friday, December 23. Set in a sleek, 2500-square-foot, sky-lit gallery, designed by architect Markus Dochantschi of studioMDA, the 12 golden sculptures of the Chinese zodiac animals re-interpret the symbolic figures that encircled a water-clock fountain at the 19th century Chinese imperial retreat Yuanming Yuan, the Garden of Perfect Brightness, which was looted and destroyed by British troops during the Second Opium War.