Zhang Huan – To Add a Meter to an Anonymous Mountain, 1995, chromogenic print, 114.3 x 165.7 cm. (45 x 65 1/4 in.), edition of 15
Why is Zhang Huan important?
Zhang Huang1 is one of the greatest and perhaps most popular controversial artists in contemporary China. He first started making a name for himself in the mid-1990s thanks to his performances, many of which have frequently been regarded as too punishing. Case in point, some of his more popular performances featured him naked and covered in insects.
Other performances saw him coated in seeds before being pelted with pieces of bread by the participating audience, wearing a suit made from raw meat2 or his whole face painted black3. The majority of his installations are inspired by both political and spiritual4 messages. As a result, his work has often brought him into loggerheads with the Chinese authorities, but it is his willingness to push boundaries with his artistic expression that has made him so successful.
Portrait of Zhang Huan during the preparation for To Add a Meter to an Anonymous Mountain, 1995
Beijing East Village
Back in the 1990s, Zhang was living in the eastern suburbs of Beijing along with other performance artists that were like him, trying to build a reputation for themselves. As more experimental artists started settling in the area, the group decided to name their community the Beijing East Village5 and fashioned it after New York’s East Village6. Although artists were encouraged to create solo works, the village placed an emphasis on collective action, which allowed a lot of the members to collaborate and work together on projects.
Beijing East Village (这是与东村的分界)
The end of Beijing East Village
It was at the Beijing East Village that some of Zhang’s most iconic performances and installations, such as 25mm Threading Steel, 12 Square Meters7, 65 Kilograms, and so on took place. Sadly, the Beijing East Village was disbanded in 1994 after a police raid led to involuntary evictions. In protest, community members led by Zhang chose to collaborate on one final project which resulted in the performance piece titled To Add One Meter To An Anonymous Mountain.
Preparation for Zhang Huan – To Add a Meter to an Anonymous Mountain, 1995
The performance ‘To Add One Meter To An Anonymous Mountain’
In this piece, artists of the Beijing East Village climbed to the top of the nearby Miaofeng Mountain in the Mentougou District, which was the site of the piece. At the site, the participants shed their clothes before arranging themselves by ascending weight into four rows. The artists then lay on top of each other to create a human pyramid. At the end of it all, the participating artists had added one extra meter to the Miaofeng Mountain.
Zhang Huan – To Add a Meter to an Anonymous Mountain, 1995, black and white photograph, 65.4 x 102.9 cm. (25 3/4 x 40 1/2 in.), edition of 15
Interpretation
This performance piece heralded by Zhang was deeply significant culturally. According to Zhang, it was inspired by an ancient Chinese proverb that comments on the importance of humility even in the face of challenges. With To Add One Meter To An Anonymous Mountain, Zhang was communicating to audiences that there will always be more challenges awaiting individuals after they conquer or overcome one set of challenges. As such, the point was to encourage people to accept change and embrace opportunities as they present themselves.
Zuoxiao Zuzhou’s interpretation
Ten years later, Zuoxiao Zuzhou, one of the fellow performers, went back to Miaofeng Mountain. This time drunken pigs were stacked on top of each other instead of humans.
Zuoxiao Zuzhou – I Love Contemporary Art Too, 2007, Photograph, 16 1/2 x 24 in.
Location of the performance
Miaofengshan (妙峰山镇)
Related works
- Wim Delvoye is tattooing pigs – Cruel?
- Willi Dorner makes you see the city through new eyes
Related readings
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