Ear Picking
采尔（耳）
2024
In December 2024, I was invited to Chengdu for an art residency, commisioned to create a photographic art project. However, upon arrival, I discovered that government-led tourism projects were causing significant disruption to local culture and the daily lives of residents, leading to instances of "photographic violence." In response, I created a series of photographic postcards as an installation, critiquing the underlying consumerism, the intrusion of government-led initiatives into local culture, and the oversight involved. Despite its simplicity and reflective nature, the project quickly caught the attention of Chinese authorities and became subject to censorship.
EAR POSTCARDS
postcard size: 10x15 cm
Installation view: postcard stands
dimension：50x50x160 cm
The artist uses the Chengdu
local feature of "ear picking 采耳" and reinterprets it as "采尔" ("cai er"). The character "尔" (which means "you" or "your" sharing the same pronounciation with “ear”) is chosen for its ancient meaning, symbolizing a reminder for visitors and outsiders coming to Pengzhen to pay attention to "listening" to the voices of others and the local community. The creator does not choose to focus on the local residents but instead turns the camera on themselves and the seven commissioned photographers who have come to Pengzhen. This aims to prompt outsiders to reflect on their own identities, the inherent violence carried by the camera lens, and the intrusion and disruption they bring to the local ecology. The commissioned photographers represent the "outsiders" group, the capital chain, and the power structures behind them, all of which are the subjects being warned and reminded.
Moreover, the ear becomes a symbolic image. It not only reflects the artist's frankness about their own in-between status but also expresses a longing for deeper cultural exchange with the local community—an expectation to hear more. At the same time, it critiques top-down coercive transformations. The author believes that the latter represents the failure to listen to the voices of the local community.
The cultural core of Pengzhen—the old teahouse—serves as a public space spontaneously formed and maintained by the local people. One of its cultural cores is equal communication, where the essence of communication lies in listening, rather than speaking at others without listening.
EAR POSTCARDS
Installation view: postcard stands
dimension：50x50x160
The postcard is a medium meant only for outsiders or tourists, and holds no significance for locals. By choosing postcards as the mode of presentation, the artist deliberately targets the viewers, reminding outsiders to respect, listen to, and avoid disturbing the local residents and culture.
Portraits of eight photographers/staffs’ ears