Land: Zhang Huan and Li Binyuan

Land: Zhang Huan and Li Binyuan brings together a selection of performance works by two Chinese artists of different generations who address the changing relationship between the body and land in contemporary China. Featuring works that mirror cultural shifts in Chinese society from collectivism to individualism, the exhibition juxtaposes videos and photographs of early performances by Zhang Huan (Chinese, b. 1965) alongside documentation of more recent performance works by Li Binyuan (Chinese, b. 1985) to reflect on evolving ideas of ownership, belonging, and alienation. On view through September 3, 2018, the exhibition marks the first museum presentation of Li Binyuan’s work in the United States.

In the 1990s, Zhang Huan orchestrated encounters between the body and the landscape in ways both poetic and political. Performers stacked their naked bodies on a mountain to increase its height, or submerged themselves in a pond to raise its water level, suggesting an intimate desire to merge with the land or to be immersed within it. Photographs of these iconic performances are presented alongside video footage, revealing additional details about the artist’s process. After leaving China in 1998, Zhang Huan relocated to New York for much of the following decade. To mark his arrival in the U.S., he staged a seminal performance at MoMA PS1, documentation of which is included in the exhibition.

Organized by Klaus Biesenbach, Director, MoMA PS1, and Chief Curator at Large, The Museum of Modern Art; with Oliver Shultz, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA PS1.