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"The Clue", the performance site at APSMUSEUM

In the afternoon of June 20th, APSMUSEUM was delighted to have invited artist Zheng Limin to present a performance “The Clue” at the exhibition site of How It Flows On. Inspired by the white thread curtain at APSMUSEUM, the performance was an assemble of actions related to self-examination and stimulation. For the artist, each of us has an "outline", which is the external manifestation of our daily behavior. The "clue” hides beneath the "outline" and has many names: subconscious, creativity, kundahlini, etc., or inexpressible. Throughout the entire performance which lasted for around 70 minutes, the artist showed us a process of searching for the clue and the self.

Standing in front of the mirrored wall, artist Zheng Limin examined himself, shaving off the left half of his beard

As the theme song from "Twin Peaks" played, the lights went out completely and the performance began. The artist first strolled behind the white thread curtain, then shuttled through the darkness between the audience and the space, bringing music and fragrance wherever he passed by. Zheng Limin used body movement to create a sense of flow in the space, and used the impact of hearing and smell brought by walking to make people quickly immersed in the performance. Then the lights were gradually switched on, and the artist emerged from the depths of the curtain, looking solemn in a plain black short-sleeved suit and black running shorts.

The artist drew a black line with a pen on his body and on the white thread
The artist drew a black line with a pen on his body and on the white thread
The artist threw a ping-pong ball toward the mirrored wall

Throughout the performance, the artist chose to use physical media and their combinations match the body, inspiring him to find the clue for himself. At the begining of the show, he stood in front of the mirrored wall and examined his familiar yet unfamiliar self. He then tapped the wall with a ping-pong ball and slowly drew a black line on his body with a pen close to his reflection on the mirrored wall. Later on, he took out a bow and inserted his body between the handle and the string, raised it slowly and steadily, holding it to its limit, then released it sharply, allowing his body to absorb the impact of the onslaughts.

The artist used his body to fight the bow with strength and will
The artist used his body to fight the bow with strength and will
The artist pulled open the transparent adhesive blanket, put gloves on both ends of the sticky surface, pulled up the sticky thread, as if playing with the marionette
The artist pulled open the transparent adhesive blanket, put gloves on both ends of the sticky surface, pulled up the sticky thread, as if playing with the marionette

After a series of self-search and consciousness, and fighting with his body, he pulled open a transparent adhesive blanket, put on gloves and pressed the sticky surface at both ends, pulled up the sticky thread, as if performing a marionette show. In the last part of the performance, the light was turned back to darkness. The artist turned on the strobe lights, stuck a reflective tape on the ground, and crawled along the tape, while clapping with the light of the strobe lights......

For Zheng Limin, the body has always been his most powerful language, and even when it is exhausted, overwhelmed by emotions, stressed, disguised and rigid, the clue lines remain hidden. At the end of the performance, the artist gradually walked out of the space, walked down the stairs, standing still on the stairs looking back at us......

At the end of the performance, the artist walked down and looked back at the audience

ZHENG Limin, b.1992, used to work at Qingcaosha Réservoir and is now working at CHANGE DESIGN. He bases his practice on performances while seeking aid from other media. He has launched solo projects in Martin Goya Business, FU|KAN and MABSOCIETY/BANK. He collaborated with institutions including Power Station of Art, Rockbund Art Museum, OCAT Shanghai,, am Art Space, JNBYHOME, among others.