Mixed media
Variable
2022
Explanation:
The behavior of consumption stimulated by consumerism
is constructing new rules - when the purpose of
consumption no longer exists and consumption itself
becomes an unconscious action. Here's what I did
:
1. Count, I have 56,808 hairs on my head.
2. Put them on an e-commerce platform, no di
fferent from
any other item, and start selling them.
3. As with any other act of consumption, invite every
consumer to come to my shop and buy a hair
Before the official sale, I conducted an experiment with my
own online shop on the Taobao platform. I put up 100 hairs
with a price tag of RMB 0.1 and these were sold out and
taken off the shelves within 53 minutes. Therefore, I decided
that the event could be completed.
Then I hired three people to count the hair on my head for me
and it took us 47 hours to count the total number of hairs on
my head at 56,808.
I had my hair condition and physical condition checked at a
scalp testing centre and a medical examination centre and
printed out a report for the consumer's reassurance. I then
wrote the details for this product, which included packaging
details, appearance display, product information, error
warning, product features, quality assurance, service promise,
product story, hair function, designer introduction, brand
introduction, and the reason for selling the hair, and packaged
the product details similar to other products sold online by
referring to the product interface of the popular products on
E-commerce platforms.
As an artist, I am aware that a lot of my opportunities in the art world have come from the act of "I put
my work on an e-commerce platform", and even I participated in the Venice Biennale2022, but
thinking about it rationally: this does not mean that my work really has academic value, but that the
"consumer phenomenon It's the "consumption phenomenon" that has taken me along with it.
Merchants are creating more consumer carnivals, while the consumer behaviour stimulated by
consumerism is constructing new rules, and people's consumer concerns are getting narrower and
narrower in the consumerist bubble. But I would like consumers to look at themselves to see if and
when consumption has become an "outlet" of sorts. In a more serious sense, why has consumption
become an obligation?
So with this work, I intend to keep probing the boundaries of consumption, to explore where the
meaning of consumption for the masses can end up, even if it is just a hair in the shop, given the
consumption inertia.
What motivates consumers is not only the direct and added value of the goods, but also the degree to which their
wallets are open at that moment and, above all, the amount of desire they have to spend. But when the purpose of
consumption no longer exists, the consumption itself becomes an unconscious action and the sales figures start to
stack up.
As the project proceeds, everything is unsettled; the only thing set is that a penny can buy a hair of the artist's head.
At any moment in the future, the buyer or others can access the link to the item to see their own or others' journey
(buyer's comments), which becomes an exhibition that remains in a link forever. What is contained here is not only
the opinion of the artist, but also the opinion of the public (the audience) which cannot be tampered with and which
enjoys absolute freedom.
As of now (28 January 2024), I have sold
48,380 hairs and have 8,428 hairs left to
sell. While the project was running, I
participated in the school's entrepreneurship
competition and took home the top prize and
5,000 RMB. All my income related to the
project will be donated to the charity at the
end of the project. The meaning of this work
needs to be shared with the audience.
When shipping, I vacuum
pack each hair and hand
print incremental numbers
on the packaging, any
unsold hair will remain on
my head and continue to
grow.
Product Reviews (Excerpt)：
Purchase link (only China)