SITE2801

Saturday was such a beautiful day C and I walked over to the Crocker. I really wanted to see the Edgar Payne exhibit. We grabbed a quick bite at the cafe and then headed to the exhibits. After being completely underwhelmed by the exhibit full of vagina art (though there were a lot of old people who loved it - maybe its a generational thing) C and I rounded the corner, stopped mid sentence and took off towards Gong Yuebin's SITE2801 exhibit. Turning the corner to face 200 terracotta in a dark room with spotlights was not expected. The lovely security guard I petitioned said "unofficially" that day we could take photos, but that it would not likely be the case in the future. iPhones out! Of course we started a trend. Someone's flash went off - C and I both looked at each other concerned and confirmed it was not us. A flash, in a museum?!?

The artist actually used clay from the same mountain used for the Xi'an terracotta warriors 2,000 years ago. 

In case you are wondering - yes, those are red babies sitting in the front of those nuclear missiles. The description on the wall explains that babies are symbols of hope, but human violence and war destroys that hope. 

If you noticed him hiding in the image above, 10 of the terracotta figures are actually modern soldiers. I think they bear a strong resemblance to James Cromwell. 

From the description "SITE2801 asks viewers to become archaeologists of the future....the apparent lack of progress in thousands of years of human evolution and empire building". It is an impressive exhibit. We don't inter ourselves with 2,000 terracotta warriors, but visual display of power is still as effective as ever.