A digital archive of Asian/Asian American contemporary art history

Huge Explosion

September, 21 1993
performance art and installation

"Part of a series of performance and installation works carried out between September 21 and October 7, 1993, at the Si Ma Tai section of the Great Wall, called 'Binding the Lost Souls'. With the help of dozens of local farmers, students and friends, Zheng wrapped more than 10,000 gathered broken bricks in red cloth and scattered them for more than 300 meters along the top of the Wall. Art critics hailed the piece as 'stunning and epic,' describing it as the single most important Chinese performance work since 1989. All coverage of this work was banned by China's authorities at the time.

Tossing paper money over the installation recalls a Chinese tradition of 'seeing off' the souls of the deceased, and was intended to comfort the broken hearts of that time."

--Asian American Arts Centre Information Sheet for exhibition "Reappearing Exit IV"

Huge Explosion
Source: Slide