Xingtian (Adversaries Dancing)

When SARS broke out in Beijing in 2003, artist Wu Jian’an feared being infected and decided to stay in his apartment alone. One day, to dispel his feelings of anxiety, he began to make papercuts of fantastic beings that could provide companionship and create a sense of safety. These papercut figures came to represent alter egos and, once the SARS crisis was over, helped him to find the courage to go out again.Wu Jian’an continued to make papercuts and they remain an important element in his conceptual work. Here the figures are inspired by the ancient text Shanhaijing (Classic of Mountains and Seas) and its many mythical creatures. The fifteen creatures depicted here are part human, and part bird, horse, or fish. They represent the adversaries who search for the Xingtian, a Chinese deity who fought against the Supreme Divinity, was defeated and decapitated, and whose head was buried deep in the mountains. Nevertheless, Xingtian overcame his condition by transforming his torso into a face with eyes and mouth, thereby persevering to continue his resistance.