Three Heads, Six Arms, One City

Passerbys and art lovers will not be able to miss a glimpse of Zhang Huan's colossal Buddhist statue, Three Heads, Six Arms in the heart San Francisco. The 26-foot-copper monument will hail at the city's Civic Center until 2011 in honor of the Shanghai-San Francisco Sister City 30th Anniversary Celebration.

Huan chose San Francisco as the site for the piece because of its strong connection to Chinese culture and arts.Two of the heads are human, while one represents Nezha, a Chinese mythological character known for protection. The difference in the heads alludes to the changing Chinese culture and humankind's relationship with nature.

The piece is part of a larger series done by the artist inspired by a trip to Tibet, in which he came across the ruins of several religious statues and structures. Three Heads, Six Arms is Huan's largest piece of his work to date, and is surely one of the largest spectacles San Francisco has had the pleasure of witnessing.