PERFORMANCE
The Utopia of 20 Minutes Embrace
A mass embrace between strangers orchestrated by performance artists, the Gao Brothers, and Stephan Hausmeister at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin
TUESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2007, BEGIN 15:00 HOURS ON THE SPOT
(Please be there already half an hour in advance)
The Gao Brothers Zhen (1956) and Qiang (1962) are among China´s
most significant contemporary artists and have presented internationally
acclaimed exhibitions of their photography and performance work
in New York, Paris and Moscow. The Gaos describe their hugging-performances
as urban theatre and plan to invite 1000´s of people to take
part in the event at Brandenburg Gate.
Speaking about the choice of this location Gao Qiang has said:
“Once we had discussion with some friends from East and West
Germany about the Berlin Wall, and it turned out that they have
the same opinion about the Wall’s collapse. All of them stated
that even though the Wall has been destroyed the precise image will
be always in their minds. There are many different kinds of walls
blocking people’s awareness that need to be smashed.”
The Gao’s Embrace series is internationally acknowledged as
a profound and significant work reflecting the realities of contemporary
China while describing global problems, relevant for the whole of
mankind.
Blacklisted in 1989, the brothers were not allowed to leave China
for 14 years but nevertheless their reputation outside China continued
to grow. In 2001 they were invited to perform ´Hug on
the Human Plateau´ for the 49th Venice Biennale. As the
travel ban was still in place the event had to take place in Jinan,
China with others from around the world participating via the internet.
A video of the Berlin Hug will be online 3 hours after the event at www.gaobrothers.net
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