"A WALL AND A BAG" explores the artist's self-reflection and societal values through three seemingly unrelated acts: building and dismantling a brick wall daily, walking past this wall, and creating functionless bags. This performance questions our perception of meaning, purpose, and value and serves as a meditative, introspective tool for the artist. The artist’s concern shifts from societal judgment to appreciating the process and life's details, transforming 'meaningless matters' into 'meaningful events'.
A Wall and A Bag
What could a wall lead you to think of?
Nov 12, 2019
Art
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When you see a handbag which cannot carry anything, do you think it is still meaningful? What is a meaningless matter?
A WALL AND A BAG can be divided into three parts. The first part is I use 100 bricks to build a 'wall' on the pavement every day and then take it down; the second part is that I walk in front of that same wall every day; the third part is a series of fashion bags without function. Although these three parts of performance and object look like they have no relationship, there is a commonality among them, which is my self-reflection about society and values. There is no reason to build and remove a wall; however, what if I repeat it daily? Would this 'wall' still be meaningless? There is no purpose to just walking in front of a wall, but what if I walk in front of the same wall every day? A handbag that cannot hold anything is meaningless; however, do people care whether this bag can keep things or not? How do the meaningful event and empty matter transform each other?
A WALL AND A BAG focuses on self-reflection and the value of things. During the process of repeating the performance, each time, I ask myself a simple question: what am I doing? Not in building a wall or walking in front of the wall; they are more like a process of meditation and self-reflection to me; I'm thinking about the meaning of my existence, the perspective from which we regard things, and the position I hold in society.
Recording these performances is a record of my thinking process and the result of my self-reflection. I use my words to show my psychological activities in the video. At first, I was worried about someone taking away my camera. I was concerned about other people's opinions of what I was doing. I was concerned about whether or not I was wasting my time. But as time passed, I gradually liked repeating these performances. I enjoyed this peaceful time which did not require me to think. I began to review my life's history to focus on beautiful details. This is a method of introspection in psychology, and it has gradually become a way for me to think about the world.
A handbag that cannot hold anything is meaningless in itself. However, is it still useless if you like it and go out with it? By making a series of non-functional bags, I would like to discuss how the value of things can be expressed. When you carry a piece of 'brick' without function, 'meaningful events' and 'meaningless matters' seem to encounter, transform, and merge in another parallel world.
當你看到一個不能裝任何東西的手提包，你是否覺得它仍有意義？什麼是無意義的事？
「牆與包」可以分為三部分。第一部分是我每天在人行道上用100塊磚頭築一道「牆」，然後再拆掉；第二部分是我每天在那道相同的牆前走過；第三部分是一系列無功能的時尚包。雖然這三部分的表演和物件看起來沒有關係，但它們有一個共同點，那就是我對社會和價值的自我反思。築牆和拆牆沒有理由，但如果我每天重複這個行為，這道「牆」還是無意義的嗎？只是在一道牆前走過沒有目的，但如果我每天在同一道牆前走過呢？一個不能裝東西的手提包是無意義的；然而，人們是否在乎這個包能不能裝東西呢？有意義的事件和空洞的事物又如何相互轉化？
「牆與包」關注自我反思和事物的價值。在重複表演的過程中，每一次，我都問自己一個簡單的問題：我在做什麼？這並不只是在築牆或在牆前走過；對我來說，它們更像是一種冥想和自我反思的過程；我在思考我存在的意義，我們看待事物的角度，以及我在社會中的位置。
記錄這些表演是我思考過程和自我反思結果的記錄。我用我的話在影片中表達我的心理活動。起初，我擔心有人會拿走我的相機。我在意別人對我所做的事的看法。我在意我是否在浪費我的時間。但隨著時間的過去，我逐漸喜歡重複這些表演。我享受這個不需要我思考的寧靜時間。我開始回顧我的生活歷程，專注於美麗的細節。這是心理學上的一種內省方法，它已經逐漸成為我思考世界的一種方式。
一個不能裝任何東西的手提包本身是無意義的。然而，如果你喜歡它並帶著它出門，它還是無用的嗎？通過製作一系列無功能的包，我希望討論事物的價值如何被表達。當你攜帶一塊無功能的「磚塊」，「有意義的事件」和「無意義的事物」似乎在另一個平行世界中相遇、轉化和融合。
Mingze Zhang
Mingze Zhang The author believes in the omnipresent miracle of nature and laments how modern society, immersed in the industrialized, virtual world, overlooks it. As jewellery artists, they aim to reflect the destructive impact of human behaviour on nature. Inspired by their childhood experiences, the author uses natural beauty and destruction symbols. They are particularly interested in social phenomena, like autism, and traditional Chinese elements. The author values sensitivity and conciseness, seeking to impact societal characteristics and attitudes towards nature through their art. They aspire to mature as an artist within a diverse, intellectual community.
Mingze Zhang 相信無所不在的自然奇蹟，並感嘆沉浸在工業化虛擬世界中的現代社會如何忽視了這一奇蹟。 作為珠寶藝術家，他們的目標是反映人類行為對自然的破壞性影響。 受童年經歷的啟發，作者使用了自然美和破壞的象徵。 他們對自閉症等社會現象和中國傳統元素特別感興趣。 Mingze 重視敏感性和簡潔性，力求通過藝術影響社會特徵和對自然的態度。 他渴望在多元化的知識社區中成長為一名成熟的藝術家。
Royal College of Art / School of Arts & Humanities / MA Jewellery & Metal, 2019
EXPERIENCE
Curator, 'ID' Exhibition, Bloomsbury Gallery, London, 2019
EXHIBITIONS
Beijing International Contemporary Jewellery Exhibition, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, 2017; The First Graduate Jewellery and Metal Exhibition, Craft Gallery, Guangzhou, 2018; 'Art Nova 100' – Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Guardian Art Center, Beijing, 2018; 'Red Thread' Exhibition, Dyson Gallery, London, 2018; 2019 Munich Jewellery Week, Lovaas Gallery, Munich, 2019; 'ID' Exhibition, Bloomsbury Gallery, London, 2019
AWARDS
Chow Tai Fook Scholarship: 'CTF Campus Elite', 2014; Chow Tai Fook Scholarship: 'CTF Campus Elite', 2015; Chow Tai Fook Scholarship: 'CTF Campus Elite', 2016; National Scholarship, 2016; Second Prize, China Fashion Accessory Design Competition, Xiamen, China, 2017
ZHANGMINGZE950503@GMAIL.COM
https://zhangmingze2016.wixsite.com/zmzzqzp
A Wall and A Bag
By presenting the entire process, Mingze expressed my thought trajectory and clarified the outcome of the thinking. He conveys all his mental activities through language in his video work. At first, He was always worried that someone would steal his camera, He was concerned about how others would view his actions, and He felt that He might be wasting time. However, as time progressed, He gradually developed a love for this activity; He began to enjoy this quiet, non-overthinking-involved activity; He began to reflect on what He had done every day and whether it was appropriate. This is a method of self-reflection in psychology, and it has gradually become a way for me to understand the world.
For a handbag that can't hold any items, it seems to have no value in itself. But if you still like it and carry it out, is it meaningless? He reveals the manifestation of item value using a series of handbags with no practical functions. When you carry a "brick" with no practical value, "meaningful" and "meaningless" seem to meet, transform, and merge in another dimension.
