One of the most unusual and perplexing exhibitions around Art Basel Hong Kong this year opens at de Sarthe Gallery next week, presented by Chinese artist Zhou Wendou.Entitled “ADHD” (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Zhou’s first solo show in Hong Kong consists of a single, monumental installation. An imposing chrome sphere nestles in a fountain of ink, while windshield wipers try frantically to clean up the continuous flow of ink that cascades down the sphere.Designed as a metaphor for the endless yet predictable onslaught of contemporary life and its manifold chores and tasks, “ADHD” is gently satirical and darkly humorous without ever crossing into blatant despair.Your installation is titled ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Do you think that Hong Kong is afflicted with a particularly bad case of ADHD? Is there, by contrast, more physical, mental, and psychological space to “breathe” and think in Beijing?I cannot say that I have a deep understanding of Hong Kong. But in a certain sense, all cities are identical: society as a whole has entered into a state of ADHD. Our actions and their purpose are almost inconsequential — we act for the sake of acting. A hyperactive culture is an expression of the anxieties of modern people.You are planning to present a participatory performance together with a psychologist in the gallery on March 24, where audience members are invited to fill out a questionnaire of your design, after which the psychologist will give a diagnosis of their condition. What exactly is this questionnaire supposed to diagnose or measure?To this day, I believe that contemporary art has not connected with the public. Contemporary art has been created for the self-congratulation of artists, dealers, collectors, and critics. Art spaces are not democratic: here, what the audience confronts is a huge display of nonsensical objects, and power lies in the hands of the critics and artists.Audiences can only passively receive their interpretations of the artworks. Stuck in this position of weakness, and lacking the power to express themselves, it is almost as if the viewers been stripped of their own thought processes. As such, I need to listen to the real workings of the audience’s reactions.Could you share with us some anecdotal episodes you have personally observed that you think chronicle the bad case of ADHD that contemporary society is afflicted with? On the subway, I often see passengers whose legs are trembling unconsciously, which led me to think about ADHD, where the body exhibits mechanical reflexes that are uncontrollable. In 2012, I started to make a body of work called “National Sport,” which explored impulsive leg shaking and other ticks.And when I observed society more closely, in terms of its pop culture and consumption habits, I found that they all displayed a certain ADHD condition. Just like the stock flipping craze of 2005, or massive volume of transactions that occurred on Taobao on Singles’ Day (November 11, 2015), these unconscious, en masse activities are a manifestation of ADHD in our society.Do you know of people who have succeeded in resisting this frantic, overstretched lifestyle, and created an alternative for themselves?Of course, there are many people who choose to opt out of the chaos of contemporary society and return to a more natural way of life, in pursuit of traditional Chinese culture, learning about tea or music. To me, however, this is precisely just another form of ADHD. In fact, from a sociological perspective, it is impossible to successfully resist this social pressure. Modern people are unable to escape this society.Do you see “ADHD” essentially as an admission of the hopelessness and nihilistic despair of modern life — or are we meant to see some black humor in it?It is certainly is not an admission of despair. I see ADHD as a necessary product of industrial society, as well as a normal state of affairs. Personally, I actually enjoy this hyperactive status of contemporary society. Through my work, I want to express the anxieties of modern people.Zhou Wendou’s “ADHD” runs at de Sarthe Gallery from March 21 through April 23, 2016.
↧