Ai Weiwei’s Zodiac animal heads go up on Greenway

A dozen bronze animal heads were being propped up on poles on the Rose Kennedy Greenway Monday morning as crews installed “Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads,” by the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.

The 10-foot-tall Zodiac heads surround the Rings Fountain splash park near the New England Aquarium. The sculptures, which weigh between 1,500 and 2,100 pounds apiece, will be there until late October, according to the Greenway.

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Weiwei is also being featured at the Museum of Fine Arts, which is running a showcase called Megacities Asia that includes two installations from him.

This isn’t the first time the museum has rolled out stand-out public art this year.It placedan inflatable flower on its front lawn, as well as a big blow-up fruit tree near Faneuil Hall.

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“Our vision in presentingCircle of Animals/Zodiac Headsin this location is to allow visitors of all ages and backgrounds, from Boston neighborhoods and from around the world, to come enjoy and contemplate this significant work,” Lucas Cowan, public art curator for the Greenway Conservancy, said in a statement.

“Ai Weiwei and the Greenway Conservancy share a vision in bringing art to people in unexpected settings outside museum walls to experience during their daily routines,” Cowan continued. “We hope all who seeCircle of Animals/Zodiac Headson the Greenway will draw inspiration and find meaning in these sculptures — whether political, social, cultural, or simply as a presentation of animal heads.”