Carol Yinghua examines two artistic practices in the period 1988 to 1996: that of the Beijing-based artist group New Measurement Group and of the Shanghai-based artist Qian Weikang.
Both represent important examples early conceptual practices starting at the end of the 1980s and play a significant role in the history of contemporary art in China. After 1996, Qian Weikang withdrew completely from the art world. Two members of New Measurement Group also ceased their artistic practice. In most existing historical accounts these two practices have barely been recorded, as the artists destroyed the majority of their works and documentation in 1996. The talk will present an overview of the challenges and relevance of historical reenactments that took place without the involvement of the artists and almost in opposition to their original intention to end their work by removing traces of their existence.