Hostage 2008
Hostage 2008
HD, 2.39:1, BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOUR, SOUND, 33:42 MINUTES, CHINA, NO DIALOGUE / PRINT SOURCE/RIGHTS: COURTESY THE ARTIST
Wang’s practice developed out of a commitment to realist filmmaking. One of his earliest documentary-style short films, Living Elsewhere follows the lives of four households squatting in abandoned housing estates, their day-to-day existence relying on cooperation between fellow inhabitants. Meanwhile, airplanes from imagined places pass overhead. In contrast, Hostage features high production values and polished direction. In this work, filmed entirely in a sound stage, we witness the small decisions and acquiescences within a Communist organisation that allowed extreme abuses of power. Wang’s use of ‘bullet time’ (popularised by ‘The Matrix’ series) records the raising of a Communist flag, an overt gesture that mirrors iconic images from American propaganda.
Contact: Sat 10 Sept 3.00pm (with Quarter no. 4/11i + Living Elsewhere) and Wed 11 Nov 12.30pm (with Living Elsewhere) / Cinema A
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