Zhao Zhao

Zhao Zhao's "Repetition" takes its form as a cube composed of smaller stone blocks, originally sourced from found demolished Buddha sculptures destroyed in the aftermath of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Zhao Zhao amassed a collection of dilapidated relics, later cutting them down to their largest quadrilateral shape. The ensuing pieces were then assembled to form a sculptural whole, carefully obscuring the original sources.  The end result - a perfect cube - embodies the persistence of beliefs, however abstract, despite their altering forms and how authority and its power is projected through the aesthecization of discourse. This isn’t to say the work’s meaning is closed; rather, it is polysemic, or readable in various ways. The importance of "Repetition" is in its gestural qualities. While deceptively simple - a formally minimalist sculpture work of natural stone- the work still conveys specific sociopolitical gestures; it is difficult to not think of the Islamic State’s forays into iconoclasm when reading about Zhao Zhao’s process. So while motivated by real events, the resulting work offer viewers only a partial view, or interpretations of these events. 

Zhao Zhao
Repetition, 2019
Single-channel video (1 minute, 20 seconds)