Xu Bing

A Case Study of Transference, unique

Xu Bing

A Case Study of Transference, unique

Date

1994

Edition Size

unique

Format

Print

Location

Beijing, China


From a live performance of ink on live pigs, revealing an unexpected and surprising dynamic between the spectators and the spectacle. Just before the event took place there was some concern that, once confronted with the unfamiliar cultural environment of the exhibition hall, the pigs would become too nervous to perform the crucial act. But in fact, the result was just the opposite: the pigs themselves were completely unfazed, and blithely ignored their human onlookers, pursuing their lovemaking with great gusto. It was rather the audience members who found themselves in an embarrassing and awkward position. What ultimately was exposed was not any sense of discomfort or displacement on the part of the pigs, but the human audience’s limitations and the inability to adapt.