《去你的,來我的!》,複合媒材裝置,500×180×100 cm,2001
《Step Off, It's My Time》, mixed media installation, 500×180×100 cm, 2001
《去你的,來我的!》,複合媒材裝置,500×180×100 cm,2001
《Step Off, It's My Time》, mixed media installation, 500×180×100 cm, 2001
我發現我這整個人簡直是被這社會教育得很深刻到無法自拔的乖孩子,順著學校、師長的心意;順著世界流行潮流;喜歡世人喜歡的所有物。當自己達不成的目標時就顯的自卑,而「「所謂標準的瘦美身材」就是讓我喪失信心的首要,看著這些不合格的數字,我一直盡力想改變它!
『去你的!』我,在幹什麼呀我!窮極無聊嗎?『來我的!』不!這一次我要反撲自己來對抗物質,從新審視自己在這資本主義所暢的流行美學中自己是怎樣的病重了!
作品內容:
從2001年8月14日至8月20日這七天當中,我以極商業攝影的手法拍下我這七天三餐的食物,以及吃後再行吐出的嘔吐物,且故意把嘔吐物拍成非常美味的感覺,也紀錄下當時身體的尺寸和身體影像,藉此讓大家比較其中的不同,也分享當時這段減肥過程的心得。
Step Off! What am I doing now? Do I have nothing else to do? “It's My Time” No! This time I will challenge myself to fight against materials and to examine how sick I am in the aesthetic trend promoted by capitalism.
I have realized that I am one of the perfect examples of those kids being nicely educated and socialized, following not only the rules decided by school and teachers but also the popular trends in the world. I like everything the world likes, and when I fail to reach my goals, I feel like a loser. The so-called “perfect body figure with slim slender curve” is the main reason to kill my confidence. Looking at the frustrating numbers about my figure, I have to improve them.
I was sick, sick with an obsession to thinness. I could not help but keep thinking that my life sucked and I hated myself without any reason simply because I was fat. I hated my greasy fat and I was helpless about it. I felt that I was pushed toward a cliff, and that was moment when I began to take revenge on my greedy body by forcing myself to throw up the food I took. I used to think of myself as a healthy, happy, and positive person who had always been optimistic with my dreams, and it had never occurred to me that I would suffer from eating disorders. However, the lust for delicious food made my appetite increase and I gradually lost control of it. At first I did not take it seriously, but later I started to release my sense of guilt by throwing up the food I took after fasting. Meanwhile, my throat also gradually became more and more accustomed to my digging fingers, so I had to dig deeper until I felt nausea and painfully threw up everything into the toilet, flushing down the food in my stomach as well as the guilt in my heart.
Perhaps forced vomit has its dark side, but I try to convince myself and others that forced vomit is an “artwork” or “performance art” in order to validate it as a legitimate way to lose weight. Step Off, It's My Time is my defense for forced vomit which has been rejected by the society’s moral standard. Since art is comprehensive, it makes “forced vomit” sacred and saves it from being condensed by the society. Through the process of eating and vomiting, I am allowed to enjoy the delicious food while I can also throw up the guilt before the unwelcomed calories are digested. Indeed, forced vomit brings me discomfort, but I feel extremely released and overjoyed when I imagine the food in my stomach turning into disgusting vomit instead of my body fat.
The making of the work has been scheduled and planned in advance. I photographed the food I had eaten three meals a day between 14 August and 20 Aug 2001, the vomit, and my body throughout the seven days to demonstrate the differences. Meanwhile, I wrote down all the detailed information about the food and my body measurements. The 35 photos look like the pictures of tasty food as shown in recipes. About a half of them are real food indeed, but the other half are the vomit disguised as soup-like delicacies. At the first glance, the artwork attracts people’s attention to savor the beautiful woman and beautiful food in the images with their hungry gaze, but once they notice that there is something different about the soup and realize it is the spewed, their hunger is soon replaced by disgust. The changes of feelings through visual experiences suggest a self-accusation: “the beautiful appearance is often a disguise for something we do not know – it can be beautiful or ugly.” Media broadcasts images of beautiful women or other beautiful things 24 hours a day, trying to convince us that we live in a perfect and flawless world. However, we choose to deceive or comfort us with the beautiful things in front of our eyes and ignore the truth hidden behind. Perhaps the differences are real, perhaps I should take a closer look to fight back as I am busy at pursuing the “perfect figure,” or perhaps I should find enjoyment in my obsession?
No matter what, in spite of my unshakable will power to lose weight, the irresistible temptation of food commercials, and the countless failures, I have decided to yell at the society which is almost schizophrenic for its diversity: “Fuck! Fuck you! What am I doing? Do I have nothing else to do that I have to start a war against my fat cells and pituitary gland which controls my appetite, to lose weight?” Meanwhile, I feel like a log floating in the ocean and whisper to myself in a weak voice: “Come, come my way! This time I will challenge myself to fight against the material temptation and examine how sick I am in the aesthetic trend promoted by capitalism.”