Breathe—Manager Zhao's Black Cab
Wang Yuyang
王郁洋
Production date
2008
Object Detail
Media
silicone, steel, fan
Measurements
170 x 350 x 150 cm
Notes
In the late 1990s and early 2000s a common sight on the streets of Chinese cities was the miandi, or breadbox taxi. These mini-vans were often operated by entrepreneurial locals as black (illegal) cabs, complete with blaring 90s Mandopop and clouds of cigarette smoke being blown out the window. They have become a nostalgic memory of the early Reform and Opening era, signifying the increasing mobility and opportunity of a more optimistic time. Wang Yuyang is particularly interested in the interface between technology and humanity. His ‘Breathe’ series transforms ordinary, everyday things, from TVs and washing machines to ATMs and photocopiers into apparently living things. They breathe in and out like semi-sentient beings – or cyborgs – with the aid of silica gel, motors and fans. The satirically titled Manager Zhao’s Black Cab (‘Everyone calls themselves managers these days!’ said the artist) inhales and exhales, wheezily inflating and deflating. Manager Zhao is a real person, a driver who often helped Wang Yuyang move materials and artworks in his unlicensed van. This rusty utilitarian vehicle is covered with Beijing dust: we can imagine Manager Zhao perhaps taking a nap inside, invisible behind the grime and dust-smeared windows of his ‘illegal living object’.
Accession number
2008.079