The Well
Li Zhanyang
李占洋
Production date
2007
Media
fibreglass, steel, paint
Measurements
185 x 116 x 72 cm
Notes
This work is based on a folk-tale told to the artist by his father when he was a small child:
A thief slipped into a butcher’s home by accident, and incautiously hit on something that awakened the butcher. The butcher was so furious, thinking ‘how dare he come into my house’, so he picked up his chopper and chased the thief. The thief fled to the yard, it was already too late to jump over the wall, but suddenly he came up with an idea: He threw a big stone into the well and hid in the corner waiting for an opportunity to move. Hearing the sound, the butcher thought the thief had jumped into the well, and he said to his wife angrily: “you roll the handle and send me down to the well. I will catch the guy.” Then, his wife found a large basket and was sending him down. At this moment, the thief saw this and came to rape the butcher’s wife from behind. The wife was holding the handle and didn’t dare to let it go. In the midst of this dilemma she shouted at her husband: “Lao Tou Zi [old man], the thief is not in the well, but comes from behind to rape me!” The butcher knew that he was fooled and couldn’t get angry any more but had to shout: “Lao Po Zi [old women], let him f*ck you, but don’t you dare stop holding the handle. it will kill me!”
The storyline of the conversation between the butcher and his wife is written on the well.
A thief slipped into a butcher’s home by accident, and incautiously hit on something that awakened the butcher. The butcher was so furious, thinking ‘how dare he come into my house’, so he picked up his chopper and chased the thief. The thief fled to the yard, it was already too late to jump over the wall, but suddenly he came up with an idea: He threw a big stone into the well and hid in the corner waiting for an opportunity to move. Hearing the sound, the butcher thought the thief had jumped into the well, and he said to his wife angrily: “you roll the handle and send me down to the well. I will catch the guy.” Then, his wife found a large basket and was sending him down. At this moment, the thief saw this and came to rape the butcher’s wife from behind. The wife was holding the handle and didn’t dare to let it go. In the midst of this dilemma she shouted at her husband: “Lao Tou Zi [old man], the thief is not in the well, but comes from behind to rape me!” The butcher knew that he was fooled and couldn’t get angry any more but had to shout: “Lao Po Zi [old women], let him f*ck you, but don’t you dare stop holding the handle. it will kill me!”
The storyline of the conversation between the butcher and his wife is written on the well.
Accession number
2007.055