C-Space is pleased to announce Sun Ping’s solo show “Chinese Acupuncture 1991-1996”, furthering his historical works from the early 90’s.

Twenty years ago, the primary focus of Chinese avant-garde art was striving for freedom. However, what kind of freedom should be pursued? How should it be pursued? What is the goal of this pursuit? There were so many opinions, dizzying and exciting; everyone had their own ideas. At one time, there were many advocates and reasons for and practices of rebellion, deconstruction, reconstruction and creation. It was as if the libido that was building inside of artists was reawakened and burst forth like the eruption of lava from a volcano. But in the name of idealism supported by natural law, the avant-garde carelessly gave the game away, establishing standards and setting rules and limits. Effectiveness thus became an arbitrary fantasy.

Everyone puts aside the achievements of rationality, intellect, and meaning provided by profit and derived from Nature. Freedom stays in its original place without the need to plan for and worry about pursuing a goal. Birds sing when they want and flowers do not choose where they bloom; natural primitivity is so wonderful.

As a result, I decided to use acupuncture in 1990 after I created the Wet Dream series.[i] I used a systematic treatment, methodically dealing with physical objectives that represented unhealthy tendencies. From 1991 to 1992, I placed acupuncture needles in a plastic art models that represented classical Western culture. In 1993, I continued performing acupuncture, this time on political idols that represented the problems of power worship. In 1996, I again placed acupuncture needles in commercial models that advertised the consumption aesthetic. These series are my acupuncture series A, B, and C. I performed treatment along these three lines, moving from the history to the present, from the metaphysical to the physical (from the spiritual to the physical), and from the insulation of art culture to the reality of public life.

Through the stimulus of acupuncture, I tried to release or change, quiet or transcend that superstition, that narrow-mindedness, that ignorance, that disagreement, that misunderstanding, that evil thought, and that gossip tossed into the air by our consciousnesses.
Twenty years later, the situation is worse than ever. Unfortunately, acupuncture has just become laughable, without any effect on serious spiritual problems and ingrained autocratic systems.