The Gold Miner
The Gold Miner
We live in a world of objects. These objects are neither animals nor plants, but they proliferate like plants in a tropical jungle, constantly encircling us. We are more like the new wild men of modern times trapped within them.
Jean Baudrillard, The Consumer Society
Who are the 'wild men' of today? As humans have evolved from their primitive state, acquiring behaviors, emotions, knowledge, and thoughts, they have undergone the baptism of history, reality, and life. Subjugated by the relentless pace of 'modernization', they have gradually forfeited the capacity for independent thought and action. XU Mo posits that the 'wild man' today retains raw emotions and defies mainstream societal norms. They remain vigilant and skeptical of the events and objects that surround them, clinging to a primal wildness that mirrors instinct and intuition.
"Urban Bigfoot" represents the true self of XU Mo. It captures his untamed growth born in the wilderness and his journeys along the city's fringes. This character also echoes his childhood fascination with wild men from the Chinese TV series "Mysteries" and the wonder of seeing Bigfoot's first recorded appearance on YouTube. This intertwining of reality and fantasy birthed the character, tiaotiao. XU's art is rooted in his personal experiences as a wild man, using a process of 'reverse evolution' to challenge and withstand the relentless march of accelerationism.
"The Gold Miner" is not only the theme of this exhibition but also the direction of XU Mo's creations since his solo exhibition last year. The theme was inspired by the workers he often sees mowing the lawn, watering, and fertilizing outside his studio window. These workers, taking breaks to lie under trees, smoke, nap, and gaze at the sky, exude a certain transient sense of ease. XU believes they are the true 'wild men' roaming the city. This led to the creation of the sculpture, "The Sleeping Bigfoot", which depicts a smiling figure reclining in a semi-prone position, subtly expressing life's resilience and helplessness. Perhaps dreams offer another dimension. The act of gold mining carries immense risks, coupled with the uncertainty of success or failure. Placing the concept of 'gold miners' in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone pays homage to every entrepreneur and worker, singing aloud the 'labourer's song'.
'Gold miner' carries broad connotations. Most are resilient, ordinary workers navigating the pressures of reality and their physical limitations. By comparing life, or even existence, to gold, we can better grasp the diverse identities and fates of gold miners. Just as Rousseau believed that wild men were happier than modern urban dwellers—modern individuals cannot overcome the chasm of 'constantly arising desires', while the free-spirited primitive man seeks only self-preservation.
Following his solo exhibition titled "Urban Bigfoot", XU has expanded beyond the depiction of tiaotiao. He now focuses on the connections between himself and contemporary society, broadening the relationships and significance of the 'bigfoot' archetype within current contexts. His work pays attention to the marginalized groups in urban settings, presenting the true wild men of everyday life humorously to provoke thought. Tiaotiao continuously evolves with the needs of expression, embodying various real-life prototypes. XU introduces keywords such as gold miners, scavengers, the homeless, and the lower strata of society, along with the ever-growing issue of waste, integrating these themes into his exhibition to respond to environmental concerns through both actions and arts.
"The Sleeping Bigfoot", a sculpture made from iron bars, features a hollow body designed to collect discarded bottle caps. As more bottle caps are added, the sculpture displays different colour pixel patterns. After the exhibition, the collected bottle caps are pressed into small sculptures and given back to the audience, creating an artistic method of waste utilization. The piece evolves with audience interaction, resulting in variations in colour, volume, and form. By contributing bottle caps, the material language of the caps is transformed through the process of art, turning discarded everyday items into small works of art that are given back to the participants.
The brief darkness around midnight came and went. The sun arose in the northeast—at least the day dawned in that quarter, for the sun was hidden by gray clouds.
Jack London, Love of Life
Jack London's short story, "Love of Life", describes a gold miner who, between life and death, gives up his hard-earned wealth, realizing and choosing life itself. At the story's end, the protagonist hides a piece of hardened bread daily until it fills his bed, a psychological shadow from prolonged hunger, suggesting the need to guard against possible famine, driven by an indelible inner fear. A gold miner, is a vessel carrying dreams and a mirror reflecting reality, revealing today's varied times. The bigfoot, with his touch of idealism, emerges as a gold miner, a singular figure among the multitude.
By/FENG Xi
