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M+, Hong Kong. Gift of Guan Yi, 2013, © Jiang Zhi
Jiang Zhi 蔣志
Strawman 吸管人
2002
Jiang’s early photographic work, Sucker depicts a kingdom of ‘Suckers’. Here, straws are used to suck up all the information and natural resources in our community. The work serves as a metaphor for the inherent complexity of human relationships, while also depicting the human plundering of natural resources and disputes between countries. Jiang first realised Sucker as an installation of photography, books, and sound at the Canton Express in 2003. The installation was inspired by a Guangdong hair salon; a revolving hair salon pole light was installed in the middle to look as if it was a drinking straw. Jiang utilised a seemingly endless stairway and the revolving pillar to transform the narrow room into a visually boundless space. Within the space, the walls were covered with the flag of the fictional Sucker kingdom while photographs illustrated the Suckers’ daily lives, and their national anthem — ‘We suck, we suck, we suck’— was playing in the background.
Due to budget constraints, most of the components of the installation, except the photographs, were lost after the original project. Due to their fragile conditions, the original photographs are not shown here. Thanks to the original records and digital files of the work, the photographs, design, and composition of the work as have been recreated here, thus allowing viewers to once again delve into the whimsical world of the kingdom of the Suckers.
Due to budget constraints, most of the components of the installation, except the photographs, were lost after the original project. Due to their fragile conditions, the original photographs are not shown here. Thanks to the original records and digital files of the work, the photographs, design, and composition of the work as have been recreated here, thus allowing viewers to once again delve into the whimsical world of the kingdom of the Suckers.
Canton Express: Art from the Pearl River Delta. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 23 June–10 September 2017
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