Hu Xiangqian

Hu Xiangqian
Speech at the Edge of the World
2013
Video, performance
12’ 30’’

I went back to my hometown in Leizhou and gave a speech at my secondary school. My fellow townsmen like to make fun of themselves by saying we are living at the edge of the world. I started to feel strongly about this saying when I was in secondary school. That made me wanted to leave, and finally I left to look for a bigger world. Now I want to go back to tell them about my experiences and my worldview.

Another reason for this work is my fascination about public speech as a form of performance. I think that the immediate engaging power of public speech is incomparable to other forms of performance.

——Artist statement

About Hu Xiangqian：
Hu Xiangqian was born in Leizhou, Guangdong Province in 1983. He graduated from the 5th Studio of the School of Oil Painting in Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2007. A young artist known for his active participation in China’s contemporary art scene, he currently lives and works in Beijing and Guangzhou. Hu mainly engages in behavior art and videos for his artistic creations, drawing inspiration from living environment around him and keen observations on reality, coupled with unique thinking. He favors a comparison method such as to project and magnify mundane issues into the social environment. He examines the subject matter in a humorous but critical manner. His works have been exhibited in numerous exhibitions locally and internationally. His representative works include The Sun, Blue Flags Everywhere and Just Go With It.