THE ART IN “GOING BACK AND FORTH”

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Manray Hsu: You had been residing in China and the U.S for the past years. The political climate in U.S., especially during the Bush administration has obviously had an influence on your work, and this influence is shown in your work. Can you tell me something about this?

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Lin Yilin: I moved to New York in May of 2001, Bush had gone into power shortly before I moved there and he had taken and implemented a strong and harsh policy towards China, the crash of the U.S. reconnaissance plane and Chinese jet fighter which ended with the U.S. plane crashing into Hainan Province was a big incident during that time. Soon after I arrived in New York was the 911 Incident, I witnessed a lot of historical incidences during those years in U.S. Other than 911, there was also the big power-cut, after that was U.S. military action against Afghanistan and Iraq. I am not American, therefore without doubt I see America as an outsider with an unbiased point of view. In U.S. I have access to news about China which were unavailable in China. After the change in my identity, I see things in comparison, my art involves a lot of comparisons between China and U.S.
I engaged 2 performances in New York, it involved the nationalism in U.S. and China. The second piece was based upon the military actions of U.S. against Iraq and of course they were a continuation of using bricks as the medium for my art.

Hsu: The piece where you involved Iraq and bricks indicate your continuation of your conceptual thoughts on your art  for the past  10  years  and  more.  Can you tell us more about that piece and how you applied 

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