Open Close (Performance)

Artist: Xiao Lu

Performance time: 4:00pm, December 7, 2014

Location: YouYou Contemporary Art Center, Guangzhou, China

Exhibition: Live Action 5 - Guangzhou

Curator: Jonas Stampe

Material: eighty-nine red candles, matches.

Photograph: Lin Qijian, O zhihang,

Course of performance

A door opened, Xiao Lu went into a room, and the door closed behind her. In the darkness, there are more than eighty square-shaped candles. Xiao Lu ignited some candles, past to the audiences. Then the audiences came together to light candles on the ground, and held by their hands. Xiao Lu picked up the last candle, staring for a long time. She turned ninety degrees, then ninety degrees again until faced the wall. "Bang", the candle on her hands cracked. Suddenly, "bang, bang, bang ......", a series of loud noise, the audiences smashed the candle towards the wall. At last, a girl was holding a lighted candle, placed it in the extinguished candles. Xiao Lu stooped down to get this candle. The audiences followed her, of which there are a few candles still in a flash. The door opened ......