Chen Haiyan 陈海燕
The Black Cat and I 黑猫与我, 2004
Ink and color on xuan paper 彩墨 宣纸
143 1/4 x 57 1/2 in
364 x 146 cm
364 x 146 cm
Copyright The Artist
THE BLACK CAT AND I Dream: 22 December, 2004 A crowd of people are all walking in the same direction, going towards a mountaintop. Because it's so fun to slide...
THE BLACK CAT AND I
Dream: 22 December, 2004
A crowd of people are all walking in the same direction,
going towards a mountaintop. Because it's so fun to slide
down the mountain from the glacier at the top, I squeeze
into the jumble of people. Behind me a woman says: hurry
up. She is disapproving and I become the last one in line.
I tell her: when I was little, and used to go iceskating and
sledding, we had a straw mat to put under our butts so
it wouldn't hurt. I am surprised to see that there is a lot
of grass on the ice, so our speed is much slower than last
year.
I don't know why, but in an empty lot in the village
people are shooting guns. I see everybody trying to hide
on the earth wall, lying flat on the ground, not daring
to move. Ahead I see a green cucumber and I pick it up.
The others are still afraid; afraid of has landmines hidden
on his body. I pick it up and put it down again, and then
discover that it has turned into a large black cat. Someone
is very tall. I grab him and make him stand up. It changes
again and goes into a box. I put the box under a well-lit
place to see what is inside.
I am at home making rice. I don't know why the rice,
which has already been washed, still has pebbles and
pieces of straw in it. I try to pick out the bits with my
fingers but cannot get them all. Someone drags to me to
the men's bathroom to take a photograph. Maybe it's a
scene from contemporary art. In the background are two
men with dyed blond hair at the urinals with their backs
to me. I don't think this is appropriate at all.
One man goes looking for his daughter. He gives up
everything. Years later, the girl grows up and comes back.
Her expressionless face has been freckled by the sun.
Her father doesn't know where she's been...I hear people
talking over the water and I weep for them...
梦2004 年12 月22 日黑猫与我
人群都朝着一个方向向山上走去，为了从冰山顶上
向下滑行的快乐，我也挤进人群，对身后的女孩说，
快上来，她不肯，我成了最后一名，我对她们说，
我小时候，玩溜冰坡是屁股底下垫一个草袋，滑行
时屁股好痛呀，只见冰上有许多草，比当年玩冰时
的速度慢多了。
不知为何，农村的空地上有人在打枪，我见大家都
躲在土墙上趴着不敢动，我上前见一根绿色的黄瓜，
我把它拿起来，他们还是怕，怕他身上藏着地雷，
我又把它拿起又放下，才发现它已变成一只大黑猫，
有人那么高，我拉着他站了起来，它又变到一个箱
中去了，我把箱子放在透光下能看到它在里面。
我在家做米饭，不知为何那半袋大米都被水洗过，
还有许多草杆及石块在里面，我用手捡也捡不干净。
我被人拉着到了男厕所去拍照片，这可能是当代艺
术的取景，背景有二个染黄色头发的男子在背对我
小便，我觉得这样不好。
一个男子去寻找他的女儿，放弃了一切，多年后她
女儿长大回来了，一张无表情的脸上被太阳晒成斑
点，她的父亲又不知去了哪儿。。。。。。在水上
听人说着，我在为他们流着泪水。。。。。。
Dream: 22 December, 2004
A crowd of people are all walking in the same direction,
going towards a mountaintop. Because it's so fun to slide
down the mountain from the glacier at the top, I squeeze
into the jumble of people. Behind me a woman says: hurry
up. She is disapproving and I become the last one in line.
I tell her: when I was little, and used to go iceskating and
sledding, we had a straw mat to put under our butts so
it wouldn't hurt. I am surprised to see that there is a lot
of grass on the ice, so our speed is much slower than last
year.
I don't know why, but in an empty lot in the village
people are shooting guns. I see everybody trying to hide
on the earth wall, lying flat on the ground, not daring
to move. Ahead I see a green cucumber and I pick it up.
The others are still afraid; afraid of has landmines hidden
on his body. I pick it up and put it down again, and then
discover that it has turned into a large black cat. Someone
is very tall. I grab him and make him stand up. It changes
again and goes into a box. I put the box under a well-lit
place to see what is inside.
I am at home making rice. I don't know why the rice,
which has already been washed, still has pebbles and
pieces of straw in it. I try to pick out the bits with my
fingers but cannot get them all. Someone drags to me to
the men's bathroom to take a photograph. Maybe it's a
scene from contemporary art. In the background are two
men with dyed blond hair at the urinals with their backs
to me. I don't think this is appropriate at all.
One man goes looking for his daughter. He gives up
everything. Years later, the girl grows up and comes back.
Her expressionless face has been freckled by the sun.
Her father doesn't know where she's been...I hear people
talking over the water and I weep for them...
梦2004 年12 月22 日黑猫与我
人群都朝着一个方向向山上走去，为了从冰山顶上
向下滑行的快乐，我也挤进人群，对身后的女孩说，
快上来，她不肯，我成了最后一名，我对她们说，
我小时候，玩溜冰坡是屁股底下垫一个草袋，滑行
时屁股好痛呀，只见冰上有许多草，比当年玩冰时
的速度慢多了。
不知为何，农村的空地上有人在打枪，我见大家都
躲在土墙上趴着不敢动，我上前见一根绿色的黄瓜，
我把它拿起来，他们还是怕，怕他身上藏着地雷，
我又把它拿起又放下，才发现它已变成一只大黑猫，
有人那么高，我拉着他站了起来，它又变到一个箱
中去了，我把箱子放在透光下能看到它在里面。
我在家做米饭，不知为何那半袋大米都被水洗过，
还有许多草杆及石块在里面，我用手捡也捡不干净。
我被人拉着到了男厕所去拍照片，这可能是当代艺
术的取景，背景有二个染黄色头发的男子在背对我
小便，我觉得这样不好。
一个男子去寻找他的女儿，放弃了一切，多年后她
女儿长大回来了，一张无表情的脸上被太阳晒成斑
点，她的父亲又不知去了哪儿。。。。。。在水上
听人说着，我在为他们流着泪水。。。。。。
