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Zheng Guogu
- Cross Back and Forth Quickly, 2003, China
27 x 20 cm ; 384 pages ; English and Chinese
writings by Zheng Guogu, Hu Fang, Bing Yi, Li Xianting, Hans Van Dijk,
Li Yang, Chen Tong, Karen Smith, Wu Meichun, Zhu Qi, Shimizu-Toshio, Hou
Hanru, Yang Tianna, Eduardo Welsh, Liu Ligan, Tang Xin, Miao Yajia, Yinzi,
This book is
an artist book, an artwork on par with the artists other works, just in
a different media.
Staged photographs, composite photographs, photos of Jpanese porn films
digitally manipulated, scribbled ink paintings, photo-collages on rice
paper, installations involving toys and model motorcycles, performances,
iron cast coke-bottle sculptures, tanks made of bread and then stir-fried,
oil paintings of famous brands in neon, Zheng Guogu has explored them
all. So, why not a book? This book is testament to one of the most prodigious
and prolific artists in China today.
The blur of visual materials literally bleeding off each magazine-weight
page are meant to be dis-orienting, as are the myriad excerpts, quotes,
essays, transcripts of phone discussions, interviews and blurbs that intervene
in the experience, fade into the page or jump out at the reader in every
imaginable font, weight and color. This artist book succeeds in deconstructing
the book, makes a linear reading impossible, and yet remains thoroughly
enjoyable as it conveys the reader into the Pearl River Delta world of
Zheng Guogu.
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