The New Adventures of Havoc in Heaven II

Projected animation, stone, smoke

Exhibited at National Art Museum of China, Beijing, 2008; Haunch of Venison, London, 2009

 August 19, 2008

 

The New Adventures of Havoc in Heaven II references the story of Monkey King Sun Wukong's unsuccessful attempt to escape the Buddha's hand. In this piece, a diminutive Sun Wukong leaps up in endless somersaults, with mists shrouding him, but is never able to leave the stone hand. The work symbolizes the difficulty that contemporary life faces in overcoming rules and authorities.