Zhu Yu (artist)

Zhu Yu
朱昱
Born 1970
Chengdu, People's Republic of China
Nationality Chinese
Works Cannibalism (食人)
Sacrifice (献祭)
Leftover

Zhu Yu (Chinese: 朱 昱 b. 1970[1]) is a performance artist living in Beijing, China. His work deals with subjects of contemporary art.

Yu's most famous piece of conceptual art, titled "Eating People," was performed at a Shanghai arts festival in 2000. It consisted of a series of photographs of him cooking and eating what is alleged to be a human fetus. [2] One picture, circulated on the internet via e-mail in 2001, provoked investigations by both the FBI and Scotland Yard. [2] The piece's cannibalistic theme caused a stir in Britain when Yu's work was featured on a Channel 4 documentary exploring Chinese modern art in 2003. [3] In response to the public reaction, Mr. Yu stated, "No religion forbids cannibalism. Nor can I find any law which prevents us from eating people. I took advantage of the space between morality and the law and based my work on it". [3] Yu has claimed that he used an actual fetus which was stolen from a medical school. [4] Barbara Mikkelsen, of Snopes.com, says that the fetus was probably in fact assembled from the head of a doll attached to the body of a duck.[2]

Images from the piece have also been used in anti-Japanese propaganda, disseminated by e-mail with a short text attached explaining the images show Japan's "hottest food" and that dead fetuses can be bought for 10-12,000 Yen (approximately US$100 - US$120). Recipients are encouraged to forward the mail, and the explanatory text is written in both English and Korean script.

References

  1. ^ "'Artist' Eats Baby On TV." (January 2, 2003). Sky News. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c Mikkelson, Barbara. (June 19, 2001). "Fetus Feast. Urban Legends Reference Pages. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "Baby-eating art show sparks upset." (January 3, 2003). BBC News. Retrieved July 8, 2006.
  4. ^ Rojas, Carlos. (2002). Cannibalism and the Chinese Body Politic: Hermeneutics and Violence in Cross-Cultural Perception. Post Modern Culture, 12 (3). Retrieved July 8, 2006.

5. Cheng, Meiling (2005) "Violent Capital: Zhu Yu on File." The Drama Review: The Journal of Performance Studies 49.3 (Fall): 58-77.

See also

External links

Reports of Contemporary Cannibalism in China (pics)