Exchanging for the Releasing, 2018

VIDEO DESCRIPTION:

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Exchanging for the Releasing is an installation piece containing three parts: a bullfrog purchased from a Chinese grocery store in a glass box; a video of the artist releasing one such bullfrog each day in the local river and a poster sticked on the floor with the text” One is being watched here, in exchange for the release of another one each day.”
Because the work includes an ”imprisoned“ living animal, it caused dissatisfaction and opposition from other participating artists. By voting, the bullfrog was removed from the gallery space before the opening of the exhibition. The dispute that occurred before the exhibition was described by text at the end of the video.
The concept of this project is to imprison a bullfrog in exchange for the others’ freedom, which is to create an uncomfortable “moral” dilemma.It is the psychological state of “abduction by morality” in an academic institution where the left-wing remarks prevail and dominate that inspires me to do this project. And I try to reproduce and question this feeling at the exhibition space in RISD.
The performance video that combines the background sound of yoga meditating music is a critique of the logic behind the act of “release”. The essence of “release” is for the class in power to gain self-relief, just like they chose to remove my work from the exhibition to gain inner comfort.
This set of performance, installation, and subsequent experiences constitute a complete project. For me, the behavioral feedback from audience outweighs the video installation itself.

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