Swimsuits
He Yunchang
何云昌
Production date
2011
Media
photograph
Measurements
63.5 x 121 cm, 63.5 x 152 cm, framed
Notes
Although He Yunchang’s work has used his own flesh, with an almost existential focus on the body of the individual and the will to survive, he has at times entered the minefield of politics. In 2011, after the arrest of Ai Weiwei, He Yunchang, like many fellow artists, responded to this exercise of state repression with satire. When authorities revealed they were considering charges of pornography against Ai, due to nude photographs found at his studio, He Yunchang posed with a group of naked women, with photographs of Ai Weiwei’s famous face covering their breasts and genitals, worn like absurdist bikinis. The resulting photographs, called Swimsuits, mocked attempts by Chinese authorities to find charges to lay against the celebrated dissident.
Accession number
2013.141