Wenda Gu; "Kind of a prick."

Remember the human hair exhibit at Dartmouth?


The Dartmouth Independent on Wenda Gu.

Gu's propensity for monumental work with sensational materials launched him quickly into the international spotlight. Human hair and other biological fodder became his medium of choice. Shows like Oedipus Refound, which combined menstrual blood, placenta powder and blood from miscarriages, garnered international attention. Gu became famous for his overstated, often sensational pieces. Deke Erh, a well-known Chinese architectural photographer, described one such early piece made from flypaper. Hundreds of flies were caught by the paper, its gooey yellow turning into a seething, malevolent black. From far away, it looked like a solid line, but visitors were shocked when they approached the dead mass. From a distance the symbol had a meaning. "The papers created a giant big character with a popular saying from the cultural revolution," Erh said.