Artist Statement:

This special ‘performance’ is a dialogue of space and humble object.

These hands were originally the discarded ceramic molds used in the production of rubber gloves. I have cast them as my performers, and costumed them in vivid color and other exotic materials.

Costumes are a director’s prop, giving actors the freedom to engage in fantasy and meaning. The colorful adornment disguises the intrinsic nature of the ceramic mold and elevates its status.

Adopting the normal code of social etiquette, the extended right hand beckons a ‘hand shake’ for the affirmation of one’s new identity, status and value.

I thought I was rescuing these hands and helping them with their appeal. But in actual fact, in dressing them up, I have obliterated their core identity, and pushed them on the stage to enact this silent theatre of body language.

Zha Songgang