On the eve of World Food Day, in Shanghai, artist Yang Yexin used 500 grams of gold to create 1,000 grains of pure gold rice with a total value of more than 200,000 yuan, and then threw them into the Huangpu River, trash cans, sewers, buses, and subway stations. , On the road, in the grass...I use this kind of performance art to satirize the behavior of wasting food.
But this move caused great controversy.
Some netizens commented that "wealth-wasting people ridicule food waste", and some netizens think that "it is obviously hype about themselves, and no one knows if you throw it away, and you can't change anything." Some netizens think it is better to donate to mountainous areas.
Yang Yexin told reporters on the 15th that this performance art is aimed at encouraging everyone to save food and oppose waste on the occasion of World Food Day on October 16.
The entire artistic performance was completed by him alone, and it took about one month from creation to completion.
Surprised by throwing gold
Throw away food but get used to it
Reporter: What was the original intention of this performance art?
Yang Yexin: Food waste is a big social problem, which is shocking.
Opposing food waste is a long-term project.
World Food Day is a good opportunity.
I feel that as a citizen, on World Food Day, it is necessary to stand up and respond to the country’s advocacy of saving food and attract the attention or action of the whole people.
Reporter: Throwing golden rice grains into public places such as buses, subway stations, roads, etc., how do people around you react?
Yang Yexin: At 8 am on the 13th, I went to the Huangpu River, and then returned to the company to work in various places in the afternoon. I threw some more on the way home, and it ended at 8 pm.
When I want to throw it, I won’t give a speech or tell you what I’m doing. I just throw it away. The process of throwing is very fast. Basically, not many people watch it and no one pays attention.
Several people saw that everyone didn’t know what they were doing, because no one thought I would throw gold.
Reporter: Some netizens think that using waste to ridicule waste is to laugh at 50 steps and a hundred steps. What do you think?
Yang Yexin: First of all, I think people love gold too much, so when I throw away the gold, everyone blows up the pot.
But if I throw away the food, everyone will get used to it.
In my eyes, gold is not valuable at all. Gold is just from the soil of the earth, so I don't care about the so-called value and price of gold at all.
I threw gold on the ground, in fact, to let it return to the earth. Human beings value gold too much, love gold too much, love money too much, so I gave it a false identity, but in fact I think rice is more important than gold. A lot of money.
No navy
Spontaneous transmission, not hype
Reporter: Some people think this is hype.
Yang Yexin: If there is a problem with the content of your artwork itself, no matter how hyped it is, the hype is unsuccessful.
Throughout the ages, so many painters and artists have made some works in their entire lives, but no matter how hyped, they have no value to this society.
Art must serve the society and speak for the times.
If we output works that are valuable to society, can reflect the voice of the times, and put forward views on social issues, such works do not need to be hyped, they will all spread.
Our work does not use Internet celebrities, naval forces, etc., it is spread spontaneously, so it is not my hype.
Reporter: Some netizens commented, "Gold for money can help children in poor mountainous areas."
Yang Yexin: I think this kind of comment is very narrow and biased.
For example, when I donated 500 grams of gold or 200,000 yuan to a charity organization, I only helped the charity organization, and only produced 200,000 yuan of things, and the number of people I helped was limited.
But if 500 grams of gold or 200,000 yuan is turned into a public event, how many people will it affect?
Far from being a few people like a charity organization, it affects tens of millions of people.
Reporter: A few years ago, you did a performance art called "LV is only worth 100 yuan and only sells 100 yuan", which satirizes conspicuous consumption.
At that time, hundreds of citizens bought LV bags for 100 yuan on the spot.
Yang Yexin: That was done around 2012.
The two forms of expression are still completely different, but they are all done through performance art.
At that time, many people were very fond of foreigners, using Western brands, values, and aesthetics as their criteria.
It is completely different from today.
Today's Chinese people are very confident and love domestic products very much.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News Correspondent Peng Li
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Performance art in the name of "anti-waste"
Should also stand the scrutiny of "anti-waste"
October 16th is the 41st World Food Day, and the week is the National Food Security Promotion Week.
Food is the heaven for the people, and food security is a matter of heaven.
During this special period, it is also the right time for the artist to arouse public attention to food security through performance art.
But in the report, Yang Yexin raised the pure gold rice in his hand and said: "We don't waste food, we only waste gold!" Related reports said that in this way, he "awakens the people's attention to food security and discusses waste and frugality. The relationship between value and price, wealth and prosperity".
Whether a performance art can carry grand propositions such as "rich and strong" is a matter of ignorance, but it is worth talking about the relationship between "waste and frugality".
Many people can't help but wonder if "500 grams of gold are made of pure gold rice and thrown into the Huangpu River." Isn't this kind of behavior itself a waste?
In this regard, Yang Yexin replied: "No waste. In my opinion, gold is not as valuable as rice, because rice is softer and more delicious. Gold is too hard and will knock your teeth..." This kind of "sarcasm about food waste" is ridiculed as "sarcasm from the rich", and it makes sense.
Opposing food waste and advocating food security does not necessarily require artificial duality.
In order to output a simple value, forcibly opposing rice and gold, it seems "hypocritical".
"Compared with gold, which is more important to you than rice? If you were to throw away one of them, which one would you choose?" This may be a multiple-choice question raised by the artist.
But for the general public, the Internet buzzwords speak well: children do multiple-choice questions, and adults need both.
Since it is in the name of "anti-waste", the artistic act itself should also stand the scrutiny of "anti-waste".
The effect of "pure golden rice thrown into the Huangpu River" is to use a controversial behavior to oppose another wrong behavior, and to use a satirical behavior to satirize the original satirical proposition.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News Commentator Wen Yang