One of my most memorable interactions with the art world has to be Cai Guo-Qiang’s show, I Want to Believe, at the Guggenheim in 2006. Although an overall impressive and memorable show, what I found myself discussing most often was his Head On art installation, which consisted of 99 life-sized wolf replicas barreling blindly in a steady stream towards a glass wall where the leaders of the pack had already crashed.

There was political meaning behind Qiang’s installation, with the glass wall being a representation of the Berlin Wall in Germany, but the exact details escape me.  I’m sure interpretations pertaining to blind loyalty and following of leaders ran rampant during the exhibit with or without knowledge of its intended political message.

The realistic characteristics of the wolves lent a great deal to the experience.  Produced in Quanzhou, China, from January to June of 2006, the wolves were entirely fabricated from dyed/painted sheepskin and stuffed with hay and wires with marbles for eyes. Viewers walked around the installation, chasing the wolves in a circular motion just as they were chasing their leaders, meanwhile glancing up at their underbellies with cautiousness, as if half expecting them take life.