Flesh — Zhongyao Wang

Flesh

Date: 2024
Materials: Latex sheets, latex tubes, silicone, artificial crystal,cotton thread.
Size: 76×32×170cm

Eva Hesse, fully aware that the latex works she created would crack and disintegrate into dust after a decade, calmly said, “Good, let them worry about it.” However, when she was diagnosed with cancer, her perspective shifted: “I feel a little guilty... I want to write them (collectors) a letter and say it is not going to last... life doesn’t last, art doesn’t last, it doesn’t matter.” Hesse's change in attitude led me to link the transient nature of latex with the impermanence of human life.

In Flesh, I stabilize the latex sheets (the material used for making bodysuits) by coating them with durable silicone liquid, thus freezing the piece at its "youthful" moment, significantly extending its lifespan. This treatment reflects the shifts of our time: in an era of rapid technological and medical advancements, the human body no longer seems entirely at the mercy of fate, as it can now be manipulated by external means. However, these advancements are often only accessible to the wealthy, prompting us to reflect on how class, race, and gender influence the experience of life.

The hanging, flesh-colored skin, intertwined with veins, evokes the beautiful, deceptive skin of the demon in The Painted Skin, the legend of vampires eternally preserving their youth, and Bogdanov’s blood transfusion experiments. Behind these stories lies humanity's dual attitude toward immortality: both a yearning for it and a deep fear of it.

肉体

创作时间：2024
媒材：乳胶片、乳胶管、硅胶、人造水晶、棉线。
尺寸： 76×32×170厘米

伊娃·赫塞（Eva Hesse）明知她用乳胶创作的作品会在十年后开裂化为尘埃，却坦然说道：“很好，让他们担心去吧。”然而，当她罹患癌症时，她的心态转变了：“我感到有点内疚……我想告诉藏家们，作品不会持久……生命和艺术都不会持久，这没关系。”赫塞的变化让我将乳胶材料易逝的特质与人类生命的无常联系在一起。

在《肉体》中，我通过在乳胶片（制作胶衣的面料）表面涂覆稳定的硅胶液，将作品定格在“年轻”的瞬间，极大延长了其寿命。这一处理影射了时代的变化：在科技与医学迅速发展的当下，肉体似乎不再完全听天由命，而可以通过外部手段加以操控。然而，往往只有富人才能优先享用这些成果，这促使我们思考阶级、种族与性别对生命的影响。

悬挂的肉色皮肤，血丝交织，令人联想到《画皮》中恶鬼的美丽皮囊、吸血鬼永葆青春的传说，以及波格丹诺夫的换血实验。这些故事背后，潜藏着人类对永生的双重态度：既渴望它，又对它充满畏惧。

Prev Next