Republic of Cynic : 1989

Yao filmed the work 1989 in the square of the C-LAB, evoking our memories of the “Tank Man” with a similar setting. It also deconstructs the significance as historic as stereotypical carried by the original image through absurd, nihilist game-playing. It is worth mentioning that the four inflatable dummy Type 59 tanks in this work were made in and delivered from China to the artist’s order. These dummy tanks are juxtaposed with the made-to-order documents, which not only reveals China’s status as the world’s factory after 2003, but also paradoxically brings a contemporary dimension to the historical image of the “Tank Man.”