Ten Thousand Years

Peng Yu

This was an exhibition with unique requirements. I invited the participating artists to discuss, plan and establish rules. The show required that all artists could only show works made of materials already in existence ten thousand years ago, subverting their reliance on things contemporary and presenting an environment without tools, thus letting the artists discuss and research the value of creativity without modern scientific and technical means. For our plan, we invited one person who could help us to realize our intention—the famous "Mao Hai," a "super hairy man" in China who is covered with thick hair from head to toe because of throwback DNA from a remote ancestor. In scientific discourse, this difference from the general public is called "atavism." We invited him to freely move on the skylight on the top of the exhibition hall. Through a piece of smashed glass on the skylight, he could see the exhibition hall below while the people standing below could see him. The sky, "Mao Hai" and the artists and spectators were all visible to one another—thus ten thousand years existed in this hidden relationship.

 

一万年

彭禹

这是一个有特殊要求的展览,我邀请参加展览的艺术家一起讨论、策划以及 制定规则,展览要求所有参加的艺术家只能使用一万年前就有的材料制作 他们的作品,剥夺了艺术家对当代熟练技术的依赖,使参加的艺术家直接 面对到“手无寸铁”的情况中,意在探讨在不借助于现代科技与技术手段的 帮助的境况下,创造力和思想活动的价值所在。 而我们的计划则请了一个人帮助我们实现意图,这个人是中国第一个“毛人”, 他从头到脚的浓密毛发向我们说明他的与众不同是由于某些根本的不同, 他携带着远古祖先的DNA,科学界称这个表现为“返古现象”。我们请他 自由活动在展厅顶部的天窗上,而天窗上的一块玻璃被砸碎,他可以透过 这里看下面的展厅,展厅里的人也可以看到他。天空,毛人,我们,彼此 相互遥望,一万年就在这个隐藏的关系中存在。