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Uterusman: the avengers
probably not going to be joining
any time soon
I WAS SLIGHTLY CONCERNED before heading
to Art Labor gallery to meet Lu Yang, the
artist behind the utterly bizarre ‘Uterusman’
anime film that has been the talk of Shanghai
art circles these past few weeks. After
watching the film, I came to the conclusion
that whoever came up with such a far out
concept must be, well, a bit of a fruitcake.
I stood in front of the screen doing my best
Indiana Jones impression, shaking my head
and saying ‘what a vivid imagination’ in the
snide manner that only Harrison Ford can
really pull off. Uterusman has to be one of
the most surreal, macabre pieces of work I
have ever seen. Featuring an androgenous
superhero character with special powers
including ‘Umbilical Cord Whip’ and ‘Placenta
Defence Field,’ it makes Salvadore Dali
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Arvin Mahanta
look mundane, and Damien Hirst look a
lightweight by comparison. I couldn’t help
but think that Lu Yang needed to speak to a
doctor more than a journalist, and when she
arrived at the gallery, my first question was
about the only one I could think of: Why?
?
he idea came from noticing that the
human form, with arms outstretched,
is quite similar to the shape of a uterus,’
Lu reflected in a matter of fact way. ‘I used that
as my inspiration, and went from there. I chose
the name Uterusman because it is a contradiction.
Uterusman draws all its powers from the female
reproductive system, so the male and female
parts cancel each other out, making the character
androgenous. The powers themselves have the
ability to alter hereditary function, bringing into »
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