8 Hours

Work by Chen Xinpeng, inscribed by the elder Wang Bingfu. Lao Mu called it the 「Sleeping Temple」, and inside this work he carried out his performance art 「Spending 8 Hours With Lao Mu」. (Image provided by Space Station)

Meng Chunsheng's first performance experiment after taking ordination, at 798 Space Station's 「Ananda Temple」. Visitors entered alone, the temple door locked, drinking tea and confiding — ultimately 「stripping」 became the theme: the body became the ultimate language. The 2003 Kunming origin: eight hours was a desire-saturation gifted to his Scottish girlfriend; in 2014 the same body, with abstinence as ground, tested the boundary of desire. Three months later, the 「three-year retreat」 began. 「8 Hours」 was the last glance before turning away — the first public dialogue after the conjoined twins split.