Nineteen Ninety-Four

The installation originates from the time the artist spent with his father in childhood. In 1994, the artist's father rented a courtyard in the Yandong Garden of Peking University as his resin crafts studio. The two years in this temporary home were the only time the author spent alone with her father.  To make it easier for the artist to go to school, his father built a single bed behind the shelf in his office. The memory of observing his father's studio through the shelf is the starting point of this work. The two monodramas at either end open and close interactively through a mechanical linkage. Through the window, audiences can see their reflection projected in the different dreams of the father and the son back in 1994, and, at certain moments, encounter other audiences (strangers) on the opposite side. The projections from the two sides will occasionally converge, simply passing by without actual conversations.  Using a combination of machinery, imaging, interaction, scenography, and other means, the artist recreates his childhood memory and projects images into different scenes through optical reflection. The installation creates a spatial narrative related to reality while remaining independent. The incidental audience experience in the installation also makes its narration more sophisticated. The work departs from the artist's memories with his father to explore the reincarnation of dependency, conflict, reconciliation, and regret in kinship.

Project Information Project Type: Installation Project Location: Shenzhen, Beijing Commission: Pingshan Art Museum, Wind H Art Center Completion: 2021 Principal Designer: Zigeng Wang Design Team: Jun Yu, Jianye Han, Manying Wang, Yu Yan, Fangda Zhou, Yang Yu, Tiezhi Zhang, Cheng Ma, Huiran Zhu, Yao Lin