Present Encounters : Papers from the conference of the Second Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Brisbane, 1996

Box 7, wood and brass, 1 OOcm x 1 OOcm x 1 OOcm What I wanted to describe with this piece was that despite being under great pressure and restriction , by way of one's virtue and abi l ity, the chinks in these pressures and restrictions can be revealed and thus penetrated . The smaller these chinks are the brighter is the light that shi nes from them . Box 8, Starting Point, wood , bronze , taped recording , the sound of a heart beat, a red l ight, 790cm x 690cm x 240cm I n this work, I realised somethi ng that I had not managed to achieve in previous works; that is an intensity of sensitised and psychological stimulus. The audience can enter the box and directly participate i n my emotional world , which creates an interesting effect. The work displays the moment of excitement when orgasm is reached for a woman in the act of lovemaking. I n order to satisfy a natural physiological need , people search for partners, and then busy themselves maintaining a special relationship with their partner. I n this process they (women) are expendi ng emotional energy and attaining satisfaction in return . But when a woman is happy she is also troubled . When the audience are faced with the source of this joy and suffering , they feel shocked . People have said that through this work I 've succeeded in compelling them into a state of moral and eth ical embarrassment. The work chal lenges the long term hypocrisy with which women are superficially understood and appreciated as beautifu l . Th rough this appreciation of beauty, the audience is made to think about these very sensitive issues. 3. Membrane, plastic membrane, silk handkerchiefs, square stool, the air currents created by the audience. This work formed part of the 'Language of Direction I nstallation' exhibition. Th is work was exhibited in Song Qingling's Former Residence, which later became the Shanghai Ch ildren's Library. Song Qingling was Sun Yatsen's wife and , Sun Yatsen was the leader of new democracy movement in China earlier this century. Due to the requirements of a developing economy this house which dates back to the 1 930s has been scheduled for demolition. We used this opportunity to hold an exhi bition. I want to talk a bit about the background of this house as this is very important to my work. Song Qingling is regarded as the mother of our country and her conduct has come to symbolise our traditional moral standards. The work Membrane is born of a meeting of traditional and modern moral concepts. In China we have a tradition to determine the morality of a young g i rl . There is only one way. On the wedding n ight the groom's parents give the couple a pu re white handkerchief. On the morning of the second day the couple must show the parents the handkerch ief and the necessary trace of blood indicating virginity. The handkerchief is like a measure for all young g i rls. This tradition has been wiped out by new cultu ral names. Yet despite the fact that young people are lured by all kinds of new lifestyles, traces of this tradition still remain i n the recesses of the hearts of girls, as measurements of 'good' or 'bad' conduct. In this work there is a door i n the middle of the wal l . The door is covered by a plastic membrane. On both sides of the wall hang white silk handkerchiefs. When the audience pass by the handkerchiefs fl utter i n response to the air flow. These handkerchiefs are just like young girls' hearts i n a state of flux, due to the lure of the outside world. On either side of the door are two small square stools each covered by a handkerchief. It is as if in giving the handkerchiefs the parents are setting a test. My works reflect the experiences that my emotional life brings to my innermost heart. I try to realistically portray these experiences. If you are moved it is because these feelings are sincere. My works unfold from very fragmented points. They communicate extremes of individual sentiments. Furthermore , for me they embody our culture, our social background, and our attitude to l ife. In China we are cu rrently experienci ng a period of cultural and economic change. The traditional virtues we adhered to from an early age have been slowly dispelled during the era of reform and 'open-door' policies. What were ideal emotional goals have become u n realistic. The confronting natu re of this new economy and new culture creates g reat 1 07