In the realm of performance art, the element of water serves as a profound medium, offering a spectrum of interpretations and meanings. This essay delves into the intricate ways in which two prominent Chinese performance artists, Song Dong and Zhu Ming, engage with water to convey their artistic narratives. Like many performance pieces in China during that period, both Song Dong and Zhu Ming combine water with futile actions in their performances. However, they differ in their attitude towards this futility. Song Dong’s approach is deeply rooted in using specific bodies of water that are embedded within specific socio-political contexts, as evident in works like Stamping Water, Breathing, and Filling up the Seas with 158 Stones. The specific contexts of the water allow his seemingly un-impactful work to wordlessly convey a powerful political message, thus challenging the idea that loudly dissident works are the sole creators of impact. Nancy P. Lin coins the term “performative futility” in her essay to describe this, which I will borrow and apply to examine similarities and differences in the works of Zhu Ming. Through visual analysis of his performance works such as dressing as the Mona Lisa and encapsulating himself in a bubble, as well as past interviews, I find that the continuous nature of Zhu Ming’s work with water parallels the individual’s continuous search for meaning, expressing that meaning is in the process of performing the actions and not their impacts. Thus, Zhu Ming’s works are performatively futile in an existentialist sense.

I will begin by examining two of Song Dong’s pieces, Stamping Water and Filling up the Seas with 158 Stones. Stamping Water showcases Song Dong performing a ritualistic act in a sacred river. He repeatedly lowers a seal, inscribed with the Chinese character for “water,” onto the river’s surface, akin to a printing motion. This act, inspired by the Tibetan tradition of consecrating water through the immersion of Buddha figurines, transcends mere repetition to embody deep cultural significance. Interestingly, this performance was a segment of the larger Keepers of the Waters project, emphasizing water activism. This juxtaposition has confused many audiences, who question why Song Dong is performing an apparently futile action as part of a broader project aiming to increase water activism. Nancy Lin states, “Indeed, Song’s performance, with its emphasis on the artists lack of impact on water, runs counter to the activist ethos of a project intended to advocate for environmental protection of water and solicit social and environmental change” (Lin 35). I believe there is an interpretation of Song Dong’s work which solves this contradiction. The act of stamping the water with the character for “water” can be interpreted as a statement on the need for environmental consciousness. By using a traditional seal, Song Dong connects with historical and cultural practices, highlighting the deep-rooted significance of water in Chinese culture. This act of repeating a seemingly futile action in a river—a natural resource often taken for granted—can be viewed as a metaphor for the repetitive, often unnoticed efforts required in environmental activism and policymaking. It’s a subtle yet powerful reminder of the persistence needed to effect change in the face of environmental degradation.

Furthermore, the Tibetan ritual of consecrating water that inspired Song Dong’s performance adds another layer of political context. Tibet’s own political struggles and its unique cultural relationship with nature imbue the performance with an additional dimension of socio-political commentary. By drawing inspiration from a Tibetan ritual, Song Dong may be subtly commenting on broader issues of cultural preservation, religious freedom, and political autonomy within the context of Chinese governance, demonstrating the complex interplay between the apparent futility of individual actions and the profound meaning that they can still hold (Lin 35).

Song Dong’s next work, Filling Up the Sea with 158 Stones, was performed on the day of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover, juxtaposing the small individual actions that he performs against a vast political and historical narrative. On the shores of Shenzhen, adjacent to Hong Kong, Song engaged in a poignant yet seemingly inconsequential act: inscribing the years of Hong Kong’s 158-year colonial history onto stones and casting them into the sea. This private performance, captured through a series of photographs, might appear futile in the face of the momentous historical event it coincided with. However, the subsequent arrangement of these photographs in a serial tableau imparts a profound significance. It memorializes not just the symbolic act itself but also the dense accumulation of time and history embedded in the waters dividing Hong Kong and Shenzhen. In juxtaposition with his earlier work, Stamping the Water (1996), Filling Up the Sea with 158 Stones becomes a visual testament to the complex relationship between individual actions and larger socio-political events. The work stands as a quiet yet powerful commentary on the history and transformation of a region, subtly asserting that even seemingly small, individual acts can encapsulate and reflect upon the monumental weight of historical change. The act of juxtaposing a seemingly futile action with its extensive impact is what Nancy P. Lin describes as ‘performative futility’ in her essay “Song Dong’s Performative Futility: Action, Impact, and Efficacy in Contemporary Chinese Performance Art.”  I want to borrow this idea and examine how this form of futility applies to artists outside of Song Dong, particularly Zhu Ming, whose works question the impact of an individual’s everyday struggle.

In his first performance, archived by scholar Wu Hung, Zhu Ming’s endeavor to transform into the Mona Lisa becomes a canvas to explore the absurdity and futility inherent in imitation. The act of meticulously preparing to resemble the iconic painting culminates in a scene where Zhu, with a skeletal figure, sits holding a fishbowl, into which water is continuously pumped and then allowed to flow away. This seemingly endless cycling of water reflects the existentialist view of the absurdity inherent in life’s ceaseless endeavors. In this case, when paired against Zhu’s parody of the Mona Lisa, the work is a metaphor for the cyclical and often fruitless nature of our attempts to mimic or attain ideals.

In another performance, Zhu Ming presents a more visceral use of water. Here, he encapsulates himself in a large inflatable ball, nude and in a fetal position, as the space slowly fills with water. The water, encroaching upon his space, symbolizes the growing pressures and constraints of existence. His struggle and eventual emergence from the ball mirror the human experience of breaking free from the confines of societal pressures. The water in this performance is not just a physical element but a metaphorical representation of life’s challenges, enveloping and overwhelming yet essential to the process of growth and liberation.

Zhu Ming continued his bubble works with a series of dangerous performances where he was not only in a bubble, but also released into a body of water where he was tossed about by uncontrollable currents. His performances did not discriminate against location: they have occurred in Tokyo, Sydney, Beijing, Shanghai, etc. Zhu talks about the illusion of safety he feels within the ball and how it engages with different settings during various performances in an interview, “The feeling of being tossed and pushed about on the surface of the water, reminds me of the illusionary state of existence. This fragile existence is challenged by each new source of nature that I journey across. Each performance is different depending on the natural environment; this is what creates the risk and the pleasure of doing the work” (Kirkwood 2004). The repetition of performances in different locations and the engagement with different bodies of water seems to show the futility of an individual’s attempts to change their situation no matter where the individual is located. As well, it parallels the Buddhist concepts about the omnipresence of suffering, and the continuous struggle for enlightenment, symbolized by his reemergence from the ball. At first glance, there is nothing performative about Zhu Ming’s futility. However, Zhu Ming’s positive attitude towards his repetitive bubble performances, which he sees as one continuous work, show that he derives meaning from the process itself, as opposed to just the moment he breaks out of the bubble which many would believe is the final goal. Thus, the idea that actions have no meaning in themselves is what is performatively futile.

The Fuck Off exhibition, featuring the works of Zhu Ming and Song Dong, serves as a pivotal point where the symbolism of water in their art reaches a climax. In this exhibition, the theme of futility is vividly encapsulated through their respective performances. Zhu Ming, in a striking demonstration, floated down the Huangpu River in a transparent plastic balloon, starkly naked, relying on a small tube for air. This act not only underscores the vulnerability and fragility of human existence but also starkly portrays the futility of struggling against the overwhelming forces of nature and society. His work, a juxtaposition of a solitary human form against the vast, uncontrollable river, poignantly highlights the human condition’s dependence on and conflict with the external world, most of which seems to be man-made. Zhu states, “During the Fuck Off exhibition in Shanghai, this illusion [of safety] was shattered. I was frightened inside the bubble. The water was uncontrollable. There were a number of ships close to me and the motorboats chopped up the water, making it rough. What destroyed the illusion was not generated by nature but by man. The boats were more frightening than any natural force” (Kirkwood 2004).

Similarly, Song Dong’s contribution to the exhibition powerfully echoes this theme, but has a more political edge due to his choice of location, Tiananmen Square and later on Houhai lake. His act of attempting to melt ice into water by blowing on it becomes a metaphor for the human endeavor’s transience and ineffectiveness against the larger forces at play. “In the ‘Fuck Off’ exhibition, Song Dong’s use of water as a medium takes on a deeply political dimension, particularly through the location of his performance at Tiananmen Square. Here, he engaged in the act of blowing on ice, attempting to melt it into water, a task emblematic of futility. This performance, set against the backdrop of Tiananmen Square, gains a profound political charge, echoing the site’s association with political protest and government suppression. The choice of this location was far from incidental; it imbued the performance with layers of historical and political significance, transforming the simple act of blowing on ice into a powerful commentary on the challenges of effecting change in the face of rigid, institutional structures. The futility of Song Dong’s action in this politically charged environment becomes a metaphor for the individual’s struggle against the monumental forces of state and history, serving as a silent yet poignant reminder of the individual’s limited power in the face of governmental authority. The act of trying to transform ice into water symbolizes the effort to instigate change, resonating with the broader theme of the apparent ineffectiveness of personal endeavors in larger political contexts.

However, the irony lies in the Chinese government’s response to the exhibition — banning certain types of performance art and labeling contemporary art that is “bloody, violent, or erotic” as illegal — paradoxically underscores the power of their works. The strong governmental reaction that the artists provoked suggests a deep-seated fear of the potential influence and disruption such artistic expressions could cause. This reaction exemplifies the underlying power of what might appear to be futile actions, highlighting the inherent tension between individual expression and societal control. Thus, the Fuck Off exhibition not only showcases the unpredictability and forces of nature inherent in water but also reflects on the unpredictable impact of artistic endeavors, however futile they may seem, on the fabric of society.

In summary, Song Dong and Zhu Ming both use water in their performance art to comment on the futility of individual actions within broader societal and political contexts. Song Dong’s works, set in culturally and politically significant locations, highlight the struggle against larger historical forces. Zhu Ming’s performances, though different in approach, also reflect on the human condition’s limitations and absurdities. The Fuck Off exhibition underscores the paradoxical impact of these artworks: their apparent futility belies their power to provoke substantial reactions, especially from authoritative bodies. Thus, both artists, through their interaction with water, reveal how seemingly insignificant acts can resonate deeply, challenging perceptions of futility and highlighting the potential for significant impact.