"Spark Me Up"
// BLURB //
Have you ever been afraid that you would "fry a squid" because you "touched a fish"? Well, if you are Chinese, maybe you have, but no dictionary would be able to translate your experience. It’s the same with colloquial expressions that are not meant to be literal in every language. Unfortunately, the Chinese language is based on the use of such words and expressions; hence it’s extremely difficult to learn. And I’m not even talking about the thousands of ‘chengyus,’ short sayings that often have a complex back story, but the slang words or internet language that is changing here faster than anywhere else. The most famous colloquial phrase is “losing face” that infiltrated English language as well, but you may want to know that planting strawberries means giving someone a hickey. To blow air into a cow is to boast. If it’s too hot, or for that matter too cold, you may just turn into a dog. So what would phrases such as “spill the beans” or “blow somebody away” mean, if one tried to translate them into Chinese? And what would you say in Chinese if you were turned on?
Have you ever been afraid that you would "fry a squid" because you "touched a fish"? Well, if you are Chinese, maybe you have, but no dictionary would be able to translate your experience. It’s the same with colloquial expressions that are not meant to be literal in every language. Unfortunately, the Chinese language is based on the use of such words and expressions; hence it’s extremely difficult to learn. And I’m not even talking about the thousands of ‘chengyus,’ short sayings that often have a complex back story, but the slang words or internet language that is changing here faster than anywhere else. The most famous colloquial phrase is “losing face” that infiltrated English language as well, but you may want to know that planting strawberries means giving someone a hickey. To blow air into a cow is to boast. If it’s too hot, or for that matter too cold, you may just turn into a dog. So what would phrases such as “spill the beans” or “blow somebody away” mean, if one tried to translate them into Chinese? And what would you say in Chinese if you were turned on?
EDITION, MEDIA, SIZE & WEIGHT
One-of-a-kind work, issued as a unique edition. A preliminary prototype may exist within the collective’s archive and may serve as a museum proof for future exhibition or provenance traceability.
Shanghai 2025
RGB LED display, Chinese papercut (Jian Zhi 剪紙) on Plexiglass, Chinese ink on Vietnamese linen embedded in hand cast resin, teakwood frame
120(W)×120(H)×5.5(D) cm // 52.8 kg
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
132(W)×132(H)×21(D) cm // 93.7 kg
EXPOSURE
“Yaoguai” at island6 Shanghai
CREDITS
Tang Dashi 汤大师 & He Dashi 贺大师 (Chinese paper cutting 剪紙) • Helen Chen 陈韵涵 (production assistant) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (performance & production supervisor) • András Gál (blurb)
One-of-a-kind work, issued as a unique edition. A preliminary prototype may exist within the collective’s archive and may serve as a museum proof for future exhibition or provenance traceability.
Shanghai 2025
RGB LED display, Chinese papercut (Jian Zhi 剪紙) on Plexiglass, Chinese ink on Vietnamese linen embedded in hand cast resin, teakwood frame
120(W)×120(H)×5.5(D) cm // 52.8 kg
CRATE SIZE & WEIGHT
132(W)×132(H)×21(D) cm // 93.7 kg
EXPOSURE
“Yaoguai” at island6 Shanghai
CREDITS
Tang Dashi 汤大师 & He Dashi 贺大师 (Chinese paper cutting 剪紙) • Helen Chen 陈韵涵 (production assistant) • Thomas Charvériat (art direction) • Yeung Sin Ching 杨倩菁 (performance & production supervisor) • András Gál (blurb)
CLOSE-UPS
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