Taiwanese artist Shi Jin-hua (石晉華) will carry out an onsite performance at the 2017 edition of Art Basel running from March 23 through 25 in Hong Kong.
For the prestigious Art Basel, Shi plans to put on a live demonstration of his ongoing "A 100 km Walk” project by utilizing two ten-meter-wide canvas. The first canvas will be drawn upon as Shi paces back and forth on the second sheet, which has been positioned to capture fallen graphite dust and shavings.
Each step is deliberate, timed to stop whenever the pencil is worn out and in need of sharpening with a retractable blade carried by the artist. The project will be considered finished once Shi completes walking a distance of 100 kilometers.
The humble pencil also plays a unique role in this project, as Shi sees the pencil's gradual shorn and dwindling existence as a metaphor for life itself. "If a pencil represents a person's lifetime, then in this endless cycle of life and death, what kind of life am I repeating?” he asks. The finished pencils will be stored in a glass jar.
"A 100 km Walk” was first inspired by Shi's fascination with human measurements and his active lifestyle as a type 1 diabetic. Using his body as an instrument of measurement, Shi "maps out” buildings, streets, parks, and bridges to reimagine an entire city as a performance venue.
Earlier drawings by the Penghu native and pious Buddhist will also be exhibited at Art Basel to extend the artistic dialogue of his creative journey.
‘A 100 km Walk'