DSL Magazine: Issue 6

Yan Xing , Lenin in 1918, 2013, photography, ultra giclee, 96 x 120 cm Courtesy of the artist and Urs Meile Gallery At that point, Yan explores the western concept of postmodernism in the new context of China. For a long time mythologies and epics drove human lives, making them meaningful and contributing to the organisation of human societies. But as societies globally have become secularised, individuals have liberated themselves from external rules and beliefs, becoming more and more engaged in self-government and autonomy. This swing from heteronomy to autonomy marks the beginning of modernity but the end of “grand narratives”. This also marks what philosopher Jean- François Lyotard described as post- modernity: myths are not only unnecessary now, but also lead to a false vision of history that it is no longer possible to accept. For Lyotard, grand narratives are close to totalitarianism in the sense that they impose supposed facts and truths that will never be demonstrated. The old Chinese cultural system has been left aside but new myths have appeared, based on the Western culture and new social values. They reflect an idea of society that adheres to the ideologies of the ruling class, and against which Yan tries to warn us.