Saturday, January 27, 2007

Yesterday I walked my cabbage

Han Bing, an internationally known artist, came to Columbia this past week to share his art. On Friday, he led a group of us in the centerpiece of his performance art installation, "Walking the Cabbage". Click on the picture to view the slideshow of our photos of the evening.

In this NY Arts Magazine article, Han Bing explains the thought behind the cabbage walk:

"My performance of walking the cabbage is conducted like a normal part of my regular life," comments Han Bing. "I want people to question the definition of 'normal practice,' and to reflect on how much of our daily lives are routines we've blindly absorbed. But we have choices about how to live. Performance art can cause us to stop and think about what we do, to ask ourselves how we should live. I don't believe that the mission of performance art is to supply answers to life's big questions, but it can certainly raise questions in public, provoking people to think."

In addition to walking the cabbage, we were able to view a video presentation of his work at the Columbia Museum of Art. His artwork is stunning. Here are a few samples of his work. Check out the other selected series while you are there.