在這件作品中，艾未未重新詮釋了一組曾被裝飾於北京華麗的圓明園（清朝「夏宮」）中一座噴泉水鐘內的獸形噴水口。由十八世紀的耶穌會傳教士所設計，這一組噴水口被塑造為中國十二生肖動物的形象，分別對應著十二個年、月、週、日、時。作為水鐘的組件部分，這十二尊噴水口按照中國傳統計時單位「時」進行報時。「時」即為一天中的十二分之一，相當於兩個小時。

圓明園於1860年第二次鴉片戰爭期間，遭到英法聯軍破壞掠奪。因此，當其中三尊獸形噴水口在流失海外多年後再度現身於2000年的一場拍賣會時，它們被闡釋為一種國家象徵符號，指代著曾經被西方帝國主義掠去的文化遺產。這種近來被賦予的高度政治化身份一方面提升了它們在藝術市場中的商業價值，另一方面引起了社會上對於建議它們回歸原址的熱切呼籲。

Ai Weiwei here reinterprets a set of water spouts that once decorated a fountain water-clock in Beijing’s lavish Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace). The water spouts, which were designed by Jesuit missionaries in the eighteenth century, told time by spouting water in shi, a traditional Chinese unit of time representing one twelfth of a day, equivalent to two hours. They depicted the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, each of which is assigned to years, months, weeks, days, and one shi.

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Presented by

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Presented by

This exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Presented by

John Baldessari, Beethoven’s Trumpet (With Ear) Opus #131, 2007, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Margo Leavin, © John Baldessari 2007. Courtesy Estate of John Baldessari ©2021

John Baldessari, Beethoven’s Trumpet (With Ear) Opus #131, 2007, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, gift of Margo Leavin, © John Baldessari 2007. Courtesy Estate of John Baldessari ©2021