Zhu Yu (artist)
| Zhu Yu 朱昱 |
|
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 Chengdu, People's Republic of China |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Works | Cannibalism (食人) Sacrifice (献祭) Leftover |
Zhu Yu (Chinese: 朱 昱 b. 1970[1]) is a performance artist living in Beijing, China. Zhu graduated from the Affiliated High School of the Central Acadamy of Fine Arts in 1991. His work deals with subjects of contemporary art.
Yu's most famous piece of conceptual art, titled "Eating People," was performed at a Shanghai arts festival in 2000. It consisted of a series of photographs of him cooking and eating what is alleged to be a human fetus. [2] One picture, circulated on the internet via e-mail in 2001, provoked investigations by both the FBI and Scotland Yard. [2] The piece's cannibalistic theme caused a stir in Britain when Yu's work was featured on a Channel 4 documentary exploring Chinese modern art in 2003. [3] In response to the public reaction, Mr. Yu stated, "No religion forbids cannibalism. Nor can I find any law which prevents us from eating people. I took advantage of the space between morality and the law and based my work on it". [3] Yu has claimed that he used an actual fetus which was stolen from a medical school. [4] Barbara Mikkelsen, of Snopes.com, says that the fetus was probably in fact assembled from the head of a doll attached to the body of a duck.[2]
Images from the piece have also been used in anti-Japanese propaganda, disseminated by e-mail with a short text attached explaining the images show Japan's "hottest food" and that dead fetuses can be bought for 10-12,000 Yen (approximately US$100 - US$120). Recipients are encouraged to forward the mail, and the explanatory text is written in both English and Korean script.
[edit] References
- ^ "'Artist' Eats Baby On TV." (January 2, 2003). Sky News. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
- ^ a b c Mikkelson, Barbara. (June 19, 2001). "Fetus Feast. Urban Legends Reference Pages. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
- ^ a b "Baby-eating art show sparks upset." (January 3, 2003). BBC News. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
- ^ Rojas, Carlos. (2002). Cannibalism and the Chinese Body Politic: Hermeneutics and Violence in Cross-Cultural Perception. Post Modern Culture, 12 (3). Retrieved July 8, 2006.
5. Cheng, Meiling (2005) "Violent Capital: Zhu Yu on File." The Drama Review: The Journal of Performance Studies 49.3 (Fall): 58-77.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Reports of Contemporary Cannibalism in China (pics)
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