Zodiac Charms by Ai Weiwei Artware Editions

12 hand-cast charm designs (sold individually)
999 pure gold charm with red silk string
charm: 0.75 inches in diameter
string: 28 inches

box: 6.5 x 6.5 x 2.5 inches
stamped artist signature
each an edition of 99
custom clamshell gift box with booklet
 
Pre-order for shipping March 2024.

object description

Iconic artist Ai Weiwei and our partners at TASCHEN present an unprecedented fine art jewelry collaboration following the success of the artist’s Papercut Portfolio. With the Zodiac Charms, Weiwei returns to his seminal 2010 work Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, an exploration of history, authenticity, and cultural dialogue. In this new, exclusive jewelry version on the theme, he turns to the multifaceted personal meanings the Chinese zodiac has held over the centuries. The charm has been sculpted by the artist based on its appearance in the earlier work and hand-cast in 999 pure gold.

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This piece invites wearing the signs of the zodiac as a charm, a custom that goes back almost as far as the concept of the zodiac itself. Fittingly, the reverse of each charm carries the name of the animal sign in Chinese small seal script, an ancient form of calligraphy standardized at the start of the Qin dynasty around 220 BCE. The Zodiac Charm has been sculpted based on its appearance in the Circle of Animals.

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Each charm is a limited edition of 99 copies. Every Zodiac Charm is hand-cast in 999 pure gold and comes on a red silk string and packaged in a custom gift box signed by Ai Weiwei.