| It took Qu Zhi-Hang eight years to finish the series See and Be Seen. It seems kind of random and ridiculous that this group of work has attracted so much attention in 2008, a special period of time that belongs to China. With much contemplation, however, one would realize the randomness is inevitable. It’s a concentrated release in the form of culture after a great amount of energy accumulated within the Chinese society. In the process of this release, we can clearly see the rapid changes in China from the landscapes juxtaposed with the “Qu-style push-ups.” In the meantime, the insane amount of attention and interplay between various media has transformed Qu’s work far beyond an artistic document, into historical visual evidence of 2008. As Qu is a host of a television program and a celebrity, his body becomes the center of public attention. |
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Shu Yong
Qu Zhi-Hang, See and Be Seenââ¬âNational Center for the Performing Arts, 2008. Courtesy of Inter Gallery.
It took Qu Zhi-Hang eight years to finish the series See and Be Seen. It seems kind of random and ridiculous that this group of work has attracted so much attention in 2008, a special period of time that belongs to China. With much contemplation, however, one would realize the randomness is inevitable. It’s a concentrated release in the form of culture after a great amount of energy accumulated within the Chinese society. In the process of this release, we can clearly see the rapid changes in China from the landscapes juxtaposed with the “Qu-style push-ups.” In the meantime, the insane amount of attention and interplay between various media has transformed Qu’s work far beyond an artistic document, into historical visual evidence of 2008.
As Qu is a host of a television program and a celebrity, his body becomes the center of public attention. He insists on using his body, through symbolic man-made landscapes, questioning and stating his opinion toward ecology and society. In fact, it is an expression of extreme narcissism of individuals in this inconsistent and complicated society. It is exactly this extreme narcissism that turns his body into a weapon in this society. When we as viewers see his naked body lying on the ground in front of National Center for the Performing Arts, the Great Wall, and the Bird Nest, among other symbolic landscapes, the reality and the incredibleness of the work force us to face the many issues that have long been forgotten and ignored. It makes us realize a lot of our unforgivable ignorant behaviors. In Qu’s work, the body is awakened by the extreme narcissistic behavior and social forces. The body transfers itself into a medium with a social purpose, so the attention the work gets is not a surprise at all.
