WHY IS HE DOING NAKED PUSH-UPS ?
From the late 1990s, Ou Zhihang (born in Guangzhou, 1958) has been photographing himself naked, doing push-ups, in front of a variety of emblematic urban and natural landscapes. On one hand, it echoes chinese long-standing performance practices exploring the naked body and its relationship with the immediate environment, which reached its heights in the 1990s in Chinese art circles. On the other, Ou’s photographs move beyond the mere record of a performance. In truth, they unveil subtle and severe critics on society’s issue, while providing an outcry against social amnesia. The paradox between landscape and nude is created on purpose. According to Ou, the landscape remains the main subject matter: it represents the background of a story that everyone should be aware of and remember. These stories can be associated with key historical moments, local scandals, or from a broader perspective can relate to international events.
The events that he chooses are usually mediatized either inofficial media or on the internet, and prompted public reaction and discussion. Why then posing in the nude? Ou explains it rather simply. Firstly, a nude body attracts the eyes. Secondly, the push-up gesture is inspired by a calligraphic inscription Chairman Mao made in 1952 for the new sports administration: "Promote physical culture and build up the people’s physique."
