My friend Susie is in New York right now -- she visited this exhibit and sent me a link to the site. She said, "He wrote that NYC gives him an inexplicable fear related to the loneliness in the context of the mixing of so many cultures, and that only by staying with the fear does one "melt it away." I think that quote refers to the picture above -- a powerful statement on being mindful of and sitting with our fears.
In 1998 Zhang Huan was invited to New York to participate in Asia Society’s exhibition Inside Out: New Chinese Art and decided to remain in the city. In his new home, he embarked upon ambitious performances that continued to focus on the body and its physicality and often involved large numbers of volunteers. Through his performances, Zhang Huan reflected on his experiences in the city and his ethnic identity in a foreign land. In a series of commissioned performances developed in New York called My America (Hard to Acclimatize), he explored issues of belonging and assimilation in a globalized world. The series included My New York (performed at the Whitney Biennial), My Australia, My Rome, My Sydney, My Japan and My Boston and expressed Zhang Huan’s responses to different geographical locations.
“I try to understand each new situation. I combine impressions of China with local culture, what people call ‘glocal.’ It’s about going from one place to another, and bringing what you have to offer to each new place. Sometimes I understand the experience, sometimes not.”
You can watch two slide shows based on the exhibit.
New York Times
New York Magazine
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