Metamorphoses, Wenda Gu (born 1955)

Wenda Gu, who was raised during the turbulent times of the cultural revolution in China (1966–1976), distills the violence and dislocation he experienced into art that raises issues of global significance. This three-panel installation is made from human hair and glue that forms fake Chinese characters and English letters. At a quick glance, someone who reads either of these languages might think they form real words, but upon closer inspection, the shapes only reveal gibberish. Disembodied hair, both alluring and repulsive, is a powerful medium to explore the complex relationship between self and community. The work’s title, “Metamorphoses,” suggests transformation and change. In this artwork, hair transforms into script and the language becomes a set of unreadable signs. By muddling both the characteristics of the hair as a physical material produced by humans and language as a conceptual marker of humanity, Gu looks to a future in which human society transforms into a unified whole.