On June 4, 2019, I attended the “June 4″ candlelight vigil at Victoria Parkin Hong Kong for the first time. The persistence of Hong Kong people in upholding this candlelight vigil for thirty years moved and humbled me. The Hong Kong “Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill” mass protests, which began on June 9, 2019, awakened my conscience and courage. On September 12, I performed a performance titled “Skew” in Hong Kong, showing my unwavering support for the city. From then on, I joined Hong Kongers on the streets, resembling a war correspondent, holding a camera on footbridges, along the streets, and within the marching crowds. I remember being hit by tear gas, struggling to keep my eyes open, and running on the streets hand in hand with friends. In those unforgettable days, I stood with the people of Hong Kong.
Unexpectedly, the momentous “Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill” movement in Hong Kong saw a massive turnout of over two million people marching on the streets. Eventually, it was forcefully suppressed with the enactment of the “National Security Law.” The longstanding Victoria Park candlelight vigil commemorating the June 4 Incident, lasting for thirty years, was subsequently banned, and many Hong Kong people were arrested and imprisoned.
Amid historical upheavals, the opportunity to participate in and witness events firsthand has made me feel that my life is not just about mere survival.
Skew ( Installation / Performance )
Performance Time: Everning, 12th Spt, 2019
Location: 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong
Matirials: Acrylic trilateral pyramid, each edge 2.1 meters, red-coloured water, a black dress.
Dress design: Feng Ling
Exhibition: Skew ( Solo Show)
Exhibition Period: 12th Spt. – 5 Oct, 2019
Location: 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong
Performance Process
Xiao Lu, wearing a long black dress stands in front of the work and tells the viewers: “This work is for Hong Kong.” She then enters the space shaped like a trilateral pyramid, two sides of which (including the base) are red, the remaining two sides being transparent, and which is almost hermetically sealed. Through a round hole, which remains unsealed as yet, the audience pours red-coloured water, after which this hole is also closed. Xiao Lu tries to break out from the inside, banging her head, hands and body against all sides. She stands up and falls again repeatedly. She struggles and roars, and resists desperately. Finally with all the might in her body, she opens up a gap in one side of the triangle. Red water surrounds her rolling body as it gushes out of the closed triangular space.
Breaking: upon seeing Xiao Lu’s performance “Skew”
Wearing black in the fall night
The monsoon brings storms.
Roaring waves
Crash into the mouth of the Harbour.
The gleam of gore is reflected in the skyskrapers.
Underground fire scorches the streets and alleys.
The uncowed city is covered in wounds.
If freedom is brutally raped
Then how can those who betray freedom
Be forgiven?
If the fresh blood is wantonly defiled,
Then how can conscience and dignity
Be silenced?
The raging roar of Lion Rock shakes heaven and earth.
The moon hangs lonely
Like an eye-catching wound.
Vibrant lives
Smash into the barriers over and over.
Lives that break through walls
Break through the blockades of blood-red night.
Pupating butterflies shout for the recovery of dawn.
– Ah Zhen
14th Sep. 2019 in Beijing, China
Performance video link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4ainF4RU5c/
