The Miniature Long March - Qin Ga
Exhibition Dates: July 23 - August 17, 2005
On June 28, 2002, the Long March team departed from Beijing,
and, starting from Ruijin, Jiangxi Province, began the "Long
March - A Walking Visual Display." Artist Qin Ga participated
in the project from Beijing by remotely following the Long March
team's movements. The artist first tattooed a map of China onto
his back, and then would tattoo each new site that the Long
March team would arrive at in its respective position on the
map, permanently leaving behind each route and site. When the
Long March team declared a temporary stop to the project on
September 2002, at Site 12 (Luding Bridge, Sichuan Province),
Qin Ga's tattoo work also stopped. Through a small needle, the
25000 li (6,000 mile) Long March was miniaturized onto Qin Ga's
back. His body is both an artwork and a Long March object, combining
together elements of history, and collective and individual
memory.
May 1, 2005, led by Long March Chief Curator Lu
Jie, the Long March team arrived at the Beijing's West Train
Station to send off artist Qin Ga. Three years prior, as the
Long March team daily made its way forward on the road Qin Ga
followed each step from Beijing. Today, it is the Long March
team's turn to imagine Qin Ga on the Long March route, traveling
from Luding Bridge, Sichuan Province (site 12), crossing over
the Himalayan Mountains and swampy grasslands, and heading in
the direction of Yan'an, remotely connecting with the collective
memory and our experiences these years on the road. Accompanying
him are Gao Feng, Gao Xiang, Li Ding, Mei Er (a tattoo artist
and three cameraman). They will help record and tattoo onto
Qin Ga's back the remaining sites left unvisited by the Long
March team.
Because of the difficulties in communication while
on his travels the Long March had to take its turn imagining
all the happenings on the road, linking together with our collective
memory from the road. Today, Qin Ga has safely returned to Beijing
from Yan'an, successfully completing his personal Long March.
The exhibition is composed of several parts:
22 large photographs of the work displaying the process of Qin
Ga's journey from June 2002 to June 2005.
Documentary materials and texts displaying the inner journey
of Qin Ga's travels as he journeyed from Beijing - Ruijin, Jiangxi
Province - Yan'an, Sha'anxi Province - Beijing.
Objects, images, and archival materials showing the physical
process of Qin Ga on the road.
For more information regarding The Long March
Project - The Miniature Long March, please contact:
25000 Cultural Transmission Center
Mailbox 8503
Jiuxianqiao Rd #4
Beijing, P.R.China 100015
Tel/Fax +86 10 6438 7107
lm@longmarchspace.com
www.longmarchspace.com
