The Trinity

Creator(s)

Shun YUAN 袁顺

Preview

Date

1994

Format

Slide

Location of Exhibition Event

Künstlerhaus Bethanien

Materials

Human hair and photographs.

Dimensions

650x180x4 cm

Description

"The Trinity" by Yuan Shun was displayed in Künstlerhaus Bethanien (Berlin, Germany) in 1994. The piece consists of two mirrored swastikas made of human hair. In the middle of the swastika on the right is an image of the Dalai Lama. The left swastika contains an image of an unidentified monk with what appears to be a poorly shaven head. There seems to be a third image in between the two swastikas, but it is ineligible in the archive's records. The artist an interview with Dr. Alexander Tolnay (https://digital.kenyon.edu/zhoudocs/412/) mentioned, "I started working with hair in the 80's, when I was in the army. Hair became a symbol of personality. In the army, everything was controlled" (Yuan). In the Chinese army, under the leadership of Deng Xiao-Ping, Yuan had to shave off eight years worth of hair. Hair is a repeated motif used in his artwork and the artist draws strong connections between hair, Buddhism, and political authoritarianism. (Nicole Wang '26).