From a distance, one may see sculptures that are positioned to resemble the motion of falling. However, when examined up close, the sculptures are instead revealed to be living human beings.
Suspended in place, subtle moments of the performance artists can be seen from the rising of the chests when breathing to the blinks of the eyelids, with the occasional cough.
Chinese artist Xu Zhen is the brain behind the performance piece titled In Just a Blink of an Eye. Zhen is renowned for his profound and abstract works in various mediums that employ shock, humour and unconventional techniques.
“The work engages notions of the body as material, and in turn the materiality of the body, testing the limits of physical and cognitive possibilities as the viewer tries to comprehend what we see,” said The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which recently acquired In Just a Blink of an Eye as part of its permanent collection.
“As the audience waits for movement, for the performer to stand up, or for them to continue to follow the rules of gravity, they instead experience time and stillness as moments extend and are stretched out on through these living sculptures,” added MOCA.
In Just a Blink of an Eye was also featured in Vogue Magazine’s March 2020 issue with musician Billie Eilish joining in on the fun by becoming a living sculpture.
