Follow Me, 2014

Hong Kong 2018
Follow Me

A⁺ Contemporary

Video/Film
“Follow Me” is a performance video made in 2014. At that time, artist Cai Hui was thinking about the impact of consciousness on people and their behavior. Politically, this is the problem that people in this country are always being faced with. Chinese people grew up in various political slogans. With the development of reform and opening up, another battle of consciousness has occurred to us—we are not only surrounded by political slogans but also by the bustle competition of commercials. In the past, we are all expected and encouraged to be socialism successors, now, it is different, inadvertently, you will become target of others’ pockets for profit. It is an era filled with traps and dispute of ideologies; it is also like a battle ground. As an artist, except for keeping subjectivity, making difference is also what Cai Hui is trying to do. In this case, when he had an opportunity of a residency program in Chongqing, the artist created an artwork aiming at advocating the importance of arts. He utilized the undulating terrain of this city of mountains, and added the elements of local mountain heavers’ custom of yelling out their labor chant (Slogan) into his work. 《跟我學》是一件行為錄影作品,創作於2014年。藝術家蔡回當時一直思考的是意識對人的作用及人的行為的影響。從政治的層面來說,這是中國人一直需要面對的問題。我們在政治口號的包圍中成長。隨著改革開放的發展,我們迎來了另外的意識戰爭。在政治口號的包圍中又加入了商業廣告的爭奪。以前,我們被定義為社會主義接班人,稍有不慎就會被教育成為共產主義者。現在,我們稍有不慎,就會走入別人的口袋。這個意識紛爭的時代,刀光劍影,處處陷阱。作為藝術家,除了守住自己的主體性的同時,也要想辦法出擊。因此藝術家蔡回藉由在重慶駐地的機會,利用山城高低錯落的地勢與喊口號式的方式,完成了一件試圖讓藝術的重要性得到廣播的作品。