Qiu Zhijie, Slowly Approaching, video, installation, performance;
2005
In southern China, different family clans use traditional
lion dancing to enact a form of competition between households.
The space for this competition, is restricted to a certain temporal
period (festivals). In this work, the artist uses another temporal
concept, ¡°slowly approaching¡±, replacing our normal understanding
of time, and violating our common understanding of speed and power.
The work uses the concept of disguise (camouflage) to represent
the appropriation of a historical and nationalist symbol for a
collective interest or power ¨C giving rise to a call for caution.
This work was commissioned by the Long March for the 2005 Yokohama
Triennale. The lion dance performance linked together the ¡°Chinatowns¡±
of the triennale site and Yokohama Chinatown.
---The Dashanzi International Art Fair opens on
April 29, 2006 3pm. A camouflaged lion dance team will depart
the Long March Space and provide a surprise for the entire art
district.
