LIANG DUAN?
2021/02
art video
LiangDuan? explores the tension between the body and the spirit. The piece reflects on the paradox of human consciousness, particularly the relationship between the physical body and the intangible spirit. As Emile Michel Cioran suggests, “the spirit is the product of an existential illness; man is a diseased animal.” This idea resonates deeply with the central question of this work: how do we navigate the fragile relationship between body and spirit?
The piece examines the concept that the body is often dismissed as illusionary, and how some individuals detach from its profound, raw reality—the nerves, the organs, the sensations. Yet this detachment, while perhaps necessary for happiness, represents a fundamental existential illness. A heightened awareness of the body’s every function—our nerves, feet, stomach, heart—is not only overwhelming but deeply unsettling. This awareness itself becomes a sickness: can one exist fully with the reality of the body? What happens when the body is overwhelmed by this hyperawareness?
The body and soul are in an ongoing struggle, and the piece explores the fragility of both. This work ultimately questions whether this “disease” is our greatest burden—or perhaps our defining feature as human beings.