"Year Of The Rat" is the first solo exhibition in Thailand by Chinese contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei who tells stories through a series of works on display at Tang Contemporary Art until Dec 10.
The rat is the first of 12 zodiac animals and 2020 is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese lunar calendar and also the gengzi year in this sexagenary cycle.
This gives the exhibition a particular meaning as it presents 12 zodiac animal heads to serve as a historical backdrop. The series fuses animal heads and Lego bricks, two of his familiar motifs, which are underpinned by two well-known but decidedly different historical periods.
The 12 Lego works are an extension of his "Circle Of Animals/Zodiac Heads", which were in turn derived from the 12 zodiac heads that once adorned the Old Summer Palace in Beijing.
The originals were looted from the palace in 1860 by French and British forces and several of them have been collected and returned to Beijing. For Chinese people, these animal heads symbolise 100 years of humiliation and they continue to activate nationalistic pride and anger.
On display in the centre of the gallery are two wearable artworks made of pure gold, "Ring W" and "Ring M". The images on the ring reflect Weiwei's thoughts about feeling trapped and deprived and about freedom and the ability to determine one's own existence.
The rings were inspired by two ancient civilisations. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient Greek gold-working techniques were linked to his research into how civilisations change and how people migrate.
Reputed for his expressive methods that give the story an extraordinary beauty, Weiwei also presents Marble Helmet, a replicated version of the helmets worn by rescue workers during the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008.
Other works in the sculpture series include Shelter, an umbrella-shaped marble created during the Hong Kong protests in 2014; Marble Toilet Paper and Marble Takeout Container.
Tang Contemporary Art is located at Room 201-206 at River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung 24 and opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11am to 7pm.
Visit tangcontemporary.com or call 02-000-1541.
