In Just a Blink of an Eye, a series by Xu Zhen
Xu Zhen was born in 1977 and currently lives and works in Shanghai, China. He is not only an artist but also a curator and founder of multiple creatives companies and non-profit organizations. He has showcased his art all across the world and has won many awards including the “Best Artist” award from the China Contemporary art Awards.
Last year Xu Zhen brought his performance art installation titled “In Just a Blink of an Eye” to The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA.) This performance art piece was on display every Saturday and Sunday from July-September in 2019. For this project, Xu Zhen wanted to capture the moment of “falling.” While we are only able to see for a split second the moment between standing and hitting the ground, during this performance that moment has been captured. While you would expect them to be sculptors these are actually actors who are somehow suspended in this position for the entire day. Mixing the humor of it along with the mystery of how they are being suspended the viewer is completely encapsulated by the performance. Exploring the concept of time itself and the natural laws of gravity. This Installation and artwork were first conceived in 2005 and this was the very first time it was shown in California.
“In this way, the performer in the actual space seems to be fixed in a time segment, and in such a scene, we seem to experience the feeling that time is still at a certain moment. Reveal the uncertainty of human self-survival status and the authenticity of watching and experiencing.” (http://xuzhenart.com/artwork/in-just-a-blink-of-an-eye/)
Sources: www.moca.org/
Photo by Myles Pettengill
Read more articles here.