艾未未十二生肖兽首展

中国当代艺术家艾未未，响誉全球，却自今年四月三日被失踪，至今音讯全无，但这无碍他的全球艺术巡回展览。艾未未的大型装置艺术《Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads 十二生肖兽首》现时于纽约市中央公园普利策喷泉 (Pulitzer Fountain) 展出，梵婗也有到场欣赏表支持。

这十二生肖兽首的铜像每个高 4尺 (1.2米)，重约360 磅 (163公斤)，每个都加上大理石基座。兽首精细如生，我特别喜欢龙、鸡和狗，无奈作品放在水池中，未能 360 度围观，实在可惜。

兽首作品灵感源于圆明园

《Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads 十二生肖兽首》作品灵感源于中国清朝皇家园林圆明园海晏堂前喷水池前的十二生肖雕像。1860年英法联军火烧圆明园，兽首及其他大量文物都被掠夺并流散各地。为了引发对「掠夺」和「归还」问题的思考，同时探索「赝品」与原作之间的关系，艾未未复制了圆明园十二兽首，并以此作为其首个重要的公共雕塑项目，秉承他一直以来专注探讨真假之间、真实与价格之间的关系，来探讨现行政治和社会体制中的理解与不理解之间的关系。

艾未未与纽约的深厚渊源

艾未未曾在纽约求学及居住逾十年之久，因此选择纽约作为其全球展览的第一站。这次展出，是纽约市政府与中国当代艺术组织 AW Asian 合作促成。展览位于名店街第五大道及 59 街交界，中央公园 (Central Park) 东南入口 Grand Army Plaza (大军广场) 内的普利策喷泉 (Pulitzer Fountain) 中。这正是于纽约的重要地段，为游客必经之地。主办方还安排了讲解员带领民众参观，介绍艺术家艾未未以及他的作品。

彭博剪彩关注艾未未

《十二生肖兽首原》展览开幕由纽约市长彭博 (Michael Bloomberg) 主持揭幕，他高度赞扬艾未未为公义敢言的勇气，呼吁中国政府尽快把他释放，并强调言论自由的可贵。开幕当天，大会并邀请到12位艺术家轮流发言，包括美国华人博物馆馆长孟淑娟。

以下为彭博的演词：

Good morning. It’s a bittersweet honor to welcome you all here to celebrate the opening of a remarkable piece of public art by one of the world’s most creative and courageous public citizens: Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei could not be here with us for the unveiling of his latest work, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads. He has been detained by the Chinese government, and the fact that we do not know where he is, or when he will be released, is very disturbing.

Today, we all stand in solidarity with the millions of people around the world who are hoping that Ai Weiwei is quickly and safely released. And we stand in solidarity with the billions of people who do not have the most fundamental of all human rights, the most cherished of all American values, and the most valuable of all New York City’s riches, i.e. free expression.（今天，我们和世界上成千上万的人们站在一起，希望艾未未尽快安全获释。我们和十几亿没有基本人权的人们站在一起，他们还没有获得的，正是美国最崇尚的，也是纽约最珍贵的——言论自由。）

Artists risk everything to create. They risk failure. They risk rejection. They risk public criticism. But artists like Ai Weiwei, who come from places that do not value and protect free speech, risk even more than that. （艺术家冒着风险去创作，他们面对创作可能失败、被拒、甚至公开抨击的风险；但一个来自不重视和不保护自由言论之地的艺术家如艾未未，所冒的风险更大。）His willingness to take those risks, and face the consequences, speaks not only to his courage, but also to the indomitable desire for freedom that is inside every human being.

New York is a city that fully embodies that spirit and fiercely defends the right of all people to express themselves. Our city is a cacophony of voices – bustling, jarring, provocative. We are a marketplace of ideas, where all are welcome to debate, and argue, and even to agree. For more than 400 years, the best and brightest from around the globe have come here for that reason — and that includes Ai Weiwei.

Ai Weiwei is one of the most talented, respected, and masterful artists of our time. We are honored to be presenting his work. And it is especially fitting that we are the first stop on his exhibition’s international schedule because of his special connection to our City. Ai Weiwei lived here for more than a decade and studied at Parsons School of Design. He is among the millions who have come to our City, drawn by the lamp of liberty that shines from our shores.

That is the history of our City — and, if we are to remain the world’s greatest city, it must be our future. We became a City of Immigrants because we were a City of Promise and Possibility. And we remain a City of Promise and Possibility because we remain a City of Immigrants.

The more a city embraces diversity and tolerates dissent, the stronger it becomes. And there is no place on earth that gives freer rein to more voices and viewpoints than New York City. Freedom is our competitive advantage. That is what attracts those with new ideas, big dreams, and fervent beliefs. And it is what makes New York New York.

We can never take that freedom for granted — never. And we can never stop defending that freedom from attack, whether at home or abroad.

The defense of freedom existed here in New York City long before there was a First Amendment or even a United States of America. In 1735, a jury of 12 New Yorkers stood up for the right of German immigrant John Peter Zenger to publish articles that were critical of the British colonial government. After being imprisoned for almost a year in New York’s City Hall, Zenger was released, and the free press was born. Our City and our Nation were founded on the principle that every one of us has the right to say what we want, and worship as we wish and where we wish, without any interference from the government.

The 12 distinguished members of our cultural community that you see here today are able to express themselves without the risks that Ai Weiwei has had to face. And the same can be said for the millions more artists, thinkers, writers, and every day New Yorkers who have come here to enjoy this most basic of human rights.

We will continue to fight to protect them. We will continue to be the international stage on which all voices from all corners of the Earth can be heard. And I will continue to stand up — and speak out — when attacks on freedom of expression affect our great City.

There is much to admire about China and the great Chinese people. Eight years ago Ai Weiwei helped design the most famous stadium since the Coliseum: Beijing’s Bird’s Nest. And like the Coliseum of old, the Bird’s Nest will echo through the centuries and come to symbolize the nation that created it. How that stadium is remembered will depend much on how its creator is treated today.

Freedom’s march is not always straight but it is always forward. And right now in Beijing a young girl is staring at the Bird’s Nest, dreaming her own vision of tomorrow’s masterpiece. And tomorrow a young boy will look up at this exhibit behind us and will begin to create the next great work of art.

Beauty and inspiration are irrepressible; they are alive in every human heart — in every nation — and wherever an artist creates Ai Weiwei is there. And today Ai Weiwei is here. Because even though he could not be here physically, he continues to speak to us, to delight us, and to challenge us through his art.

Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is an extraordinary piece of work — set in an extraordinary location. It is the first piece of art to be incorporated into the landmark Pulitzer Fountain. The fountain itself is a symbol of the diversity that defines our City: it was donated by a Hungarian-born benefactor, fashioned by Austrian and Italian-born sculptors from the design of a New York-born architect. It is the perfect setting for a work of art by someone who considers himself both a citizen of the world — and a New Yorker.

In its scale and accessibility, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads follows in New York City’s proud tradition of presenting unforgettable public art that everyone can enjoy. Ai Weiwei believes that art should be for everyone – and we couldn’t agree more. Millions of people will see his work – which will be on display here through July 15th. And it will attract visitors from far and wide – as our cultural attractions across the City do.

Our arts and cultural community helps drive and define our City’s spirit. And it also helps drive and define our economy, creating good jobs in all five boroughs. That’s why we’re so committed to investing in art and culture and why we’ve worked so hard to bring public art exhibits like this to life.

兽首全球展出

《Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads 十二生肖兽首》在纽约展览至 7月15日结束。随后兽首将赴英国伦敦 (London)、美国加州洛杉矶 (Los Angeles)、德州休斯顿 (Houston)、宾州匹兹堡 (Pisttsburg)、华府 (Washington DC) 等地进行巡回展出。

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