What is Love ? (Performance)

Artist: Xiao Lu

Time: 11th Oct. 2009, 7:45pm – 9:10pm

Place: “Stara Elektrarna”, Ljubljana,The Republic of  Slovenia.

Materials：3m X 4m black box. One table. Two chairs. one spotlight. One  permanent marker pen. One ream of parchment paper.

Host: “City of women festival”

Subject: Women and Performance

Chinese curator: Bangremy

Photograph: Nada Zgank/ Memento

Performance Method

In “Stara Elektrarna”, a old building in Ljubljana, on an arena-style stage, I built a 3m x 4m black box. I stood in front of the box and said: “Very pleased to came to this city, when I was little, I saw a film ‘Walter defense Sarajevo’. In it, there was a song which I remember went: “ Good friends, good friends, good-bye……”  ( I sing this song ) I came here today, bringing a work of art “What is Love ?” I hope everyone here will enter this black box and discuss “What is love ?”

I went into the black box and sat in a chair at the table. A woman came in and sat down in a chair opporite me. One by one ( two at the end),  16 women and 2 men entered the black box. We chatted face to face about love and marriage. No one who entered was marriaged.

Everyone left a written “motto.” 

Duration of the work: 1 hour and 45 minutes.

About the work “What is Love?”

One of the most simple; the most complex issues. I took this question to a small town in Europe, Ljubljana ( fomer Yugoslavia)

“What is love?” I asked the audience this question.18 women and two men went into the black box, they talked with me “What is love ?”

All who entered the black box left their “love motto”

1．“Love is trust” —— Doris Steinbichler

2．“Love is time”—— 

3．“Different loves there are”—— 

4+5．（enter together）“Ecstasy.” “ Harmony and extreme satisfaction.”

6．“Don’t know much about Love”——

7+8．（enter together）：“Love is Love.” “Have to love you！”——Kitch

9．“Love is state of mind, marriage is just paper.”—— 

10．“I love.”—— Ina

11．“Energy = Love”—— Nika

12．“Love is home”—— Ursa

13．“Love is a story, marriage is institution.”——

14．“Freedom ⇒ love” 

15．“Happiness is love.”——

16+17．（enter together）“Love like life.” “ Love to Love”——

18．“Love is life”——

19. “Love exists only as a (strong) feeling.”—— Dunya

20．“Love is the ‘only magical thing in the world’”—— Tine

Of the 18 women and two men from different countries, some left their names. Each wrote her or his response to “What is love?” 

Xiao Lu

4 September 2009 in Beijing “Huantie Art City”