FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact & High Res Images:
Kate Patterson, San Francisco Arts Commission
Tel: 415/252-4638 Email: kate.patterson@sfgov.org

COLOSSAL SCULPTURE BY WORLD-RENOWNED CHINESE ARTIST ZHANG HUAN TO GRACE SAN FRANCISCO’S CIVIC CENTER AS PART OF
SHANGHAI SISTER CITY CELEBRATION

The San Francisco Arts Commission will Install Three Heads Six Arms in Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza in Late Spring 2010

Zhang Huan Three Heads Six Arms, 2008 copper 26' 3" x 59' 3/4" x 32' 9-3/4" (800 cm x 1,800 cm x 1,000 cm) © Zhang Huan Studio, courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

SAN FRANCISCO, January 19, 2010 – Mayor Gavin Newsom and Director of Cultural Affairs Luis R. Cancel are pleased to announce that in conjunction with the Shanghai San Francisco Sister City 30th Anniversary Celebration the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) will present a major artwork by celebrated Chinese artist Zhang Huan. Starting in late spring 2010, Zhang’s colossal Three Heads Six Arms (2008) will make its world premiere as the focal point of Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza, which is located in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center, across from City Hall. Standing over 26 feet tall and weighing almost 15 tons, the copper sculpture is the artist’s largest work to date. Three Heads Six Arms is part of an important series of monumental works depicting Buddha arms, legs, feet, hands and heads that was inspired by the artist’s experience seeing remnants of religious sculptures that had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution for sale in a Tibetan market. Zhang, who is based in Shanghai, is widely regarded as one of the most influential and provocative contemporary artists working today. Three Heads Six Arms, courtesy of the artist and PaceWildenstein gallery, New York, will be on loan for six months or longer. The artist chose San Francisco as the ideal setting to debut his sculpture, in part because of the long-standing history being honored between Shanghai and San Francisco during this year’s Sister City Celebration. The SFAC is working with the Recreation and Parks Commission to secure the necessary permits and will announce the unveiling at later date.

“We are honored to have an artist of Zhang Huan’s stature participate in the Shanghai Sister City Celebration,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “I applaud the San Francisco Arts Commission for their success in bringing this spectacular sculpture to San Francisco as it represents one of the most important cultural exchanges between the sister cities to date.”

“It is a tremendous honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to bring such an incredible work by one of the world’s most important artists to the heart of San Francisco,” said Luis R. Cancel. “We look forward to announcing the unveiling of Zhang Huan’s sculpture and to boosting cultural tourism in the City. We anticipate that locals and tourists alike will flock to the Civic Center to experience the grandeur of this masterpiece firsthand.”

For high resolution images of Three Heads Six Arms contact Kate Patterson at 415/252-4638 or email, kate.patterson@sfgov.org.

For more information on this San Francisco Bay Area-wide festival presented throughout 2010 and its associated exhibitions, films, performances, lectures, and other events, please visit www.shanghaicelebration.com. The cornerstone of the Celebration is the Asian Art Museum’s presentation of Shanghai, a major exhibition examining the visual culture of one of China’s most cosmopolitan cities, scheduled for February 12— September 5, 2010.

About the San Francisco Arts Commission and the Public Art Program
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. We believe that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City’s well-being. Established by charter in 1932, SFAC programs integrate the arts into all aspects of City life. Programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Arts & Education, Cultural Equity Grants, Public Art, SFAC Gallery, Street Artists Licensing, and the Summer in the City Concert Series. The agency’s core values are committed to the principle that all residents have equal access to arts experiences in all disciplines, that programs are provided comprehensively and evenly throughout the City, and that they are innovative and of the highest quality.

The Arts Commission’s Public Art Program was established by the City Arts Enrichment Ordinance in 1969, as one of the first of its kind in the country. The Public Art Program seeks to promote a diverse and stimulating cultural environment to enrich the lives of the city’s residents, visitors and employees. The Program encourages the creative interaction of artists, designers, city staff, officials and community members during the design of City projects in order to develop public art that is specific to the site and meaningful to the community.
SFAC Public Art website: www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection

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