Assignment No. 2

Rethinking the possibilities of Body

Few weeks ago, being inspired by the Art Exhibition on Sexuality and the seminars given in this year’s Sex and Cultural Festival (2011), I made a printmaking work the represent some of my thoughts on the issues of sexuality, justice, even body.

After watching Pina Bausch’s stage performance recording in the lesson of Adaptation, Theatre and Culture, I have thought more about “body” per se, and have got some more reflection of the work I have made.

The printmaking that I made was concerned with the unequal treatment being faced my some sexual minority in Hong Kong nowadays. For example, local law is actually harsh to some groups of people, such as LGBT, in Hong Kong. I was totally shocked when I learnt that person who sexually rapes a transgendered person can never be legally charged with “rape” in Hong Kongbut “indecent assault” only. For instance, what I tried to bring out in this artwork is that everyone in this world is born equal so that should not be discriminated or treated unjustly.

I put it on the wall of a lane in Yau Ma Tei which is one of the most crowded places in Hong Kong. Many of the people crossing this lane are comparatively young, trendy, modern, and (perhaps) open-minded. I want people passing through there to aware the printmaking and then rethink more about what they have been accustomed to in everyday life.

However, it was removed two days after I had stuck it on the wall. There are three possible ways to explain the reason why it was removed: 1. person who did that only to my work (not others) consciously because he/she hates it and wants it disappear; 2. person who did that only to my work (not others) consciously because he/she loves it and wants to keep it; 3. it was removed because of the randomness, just like what Heidegger proposed about our existence: we are contingently “thrown” to the world and live without any reason (at least an acceptable reason).

In fact, during the lessons of Adaptations, Theatre and Culture, we went through the possibility of “body” as a tool of communication and emotion expressing in theatre, which inspired me much more about the artwork I have mentioned above.

I used to hate my own body since it always teased by my schoolmates when I was very young. I have refused to conserve with or discover the possibility of my body for years. I had no idea about “body” (as an issue) because I seldom thought about it. After involving in some discussions on “body” during the lessons, some purer and simpler imaginations of body came into my mind.

Suddenly I found human BODY is really amazing gift from God because, on one hand, we are all born EQUAL with one (and only one) physical body, on the other hand, every of us is totally DIFFERENT, no matter in the mental or physical point of views. Therefore, we are, at the same time, “equal” and “unique”!

Therefore, I found that body is the simplest and most direct way to express your uniqueness, as well as your feelings and emotions deep in the heart. It is, in some sense, beyond words (language), beyond good and evil (morality), and “just like this” (it is born to be your body no matter how it looks like, or no matter you hate it or love it). It is so pure, emotional and sensitive. It reminded me about Friedrich Nietzsche’s point of views on life (or suffering). He proposed an aesthetic way to deal with the sufferings we need to face in our lives: just take it and try our best to flourish it without requesting any explanations or reasons of such sufferings. It may provide us an alternative way to understand and treat our bodies, so that everyone has his own chances and rights to discover the possibilities of his body.