H(ER)-istory 2.0 (for 2 performers, hair carpet and electronics)

Duration: 20'
Program Note:

This is the 2.0 version of featuring porn artist Tin Wai Wong, who sits nude at the other end of the hair carpet, replacing the sex doll.

The premier of H(ER)-istory 1.0 received interesting feedback. The audience at the event seemed indifferent and somewhat defensive, but later, when the work spread on social media, with a screen in between, people seemed more at ease watching it.

A friend asked me, "Was it supposed to be uncomfortable?" Another friend, however, was angry about my suggestion to perform the work in a red-light district, calling it a "stupid idea," while at the same time praising the idea of "replacing the sex doll with a real nude woman." To me, this seemed to fall into the contemporary art power dynamic of "women have to be naked to get into the museum," which undermines the original intention of this work.

For a time, I was confused about whether artists have a responsibility to "educate" the audience through their message and whether displacement triggers people's guilt. Should I sugarcoat the message, so the audience doesn’t feel targeted or blamed?

Fortunately, I encountered Otion Front Studio and invited the artist Tin Wai Wong, with whom I've been collaborating for many years. At the time, she had just begun her career as a porn artist. Everything seemed to fall into the most "right" place—nothing was displaced. In this way, I don’t feel the need to compromise or twist any inner feelings to get this work accepted. “I have a friend who has also suffered domestic violence… You should perform this work regularly and let more women see it; it will be a healing process for them," said an audience who had hesitated to attend at first. I think this work finally found its life.

This project is presented by Otion Front Studio and is part of the concert series fe-[mute(male)] – an investigation on violence toward women supported by Presser Music Award.