A digital archive of Asian/Asian American contemporary art history

Black Cola

September, 26 1993
performance art and installation

"From September 26 to 30, 1993, New York-based Chinese performance artist Zheng Lianjie (last name Zheng) carried out a performance and installation work at the 13th Fire Tower of the Great Wall Si MaTai site called 'Black Cola'.

Zheng covered the tower’s roof with black cloth, and then proceeded to create a web across the tower using rope. Caught in the web were long black sticks and bricks from the Great Wall, set off by fluttering strips of red cloth tied to the web.

At sunset, Zheng and four others took up different positions around the ledge of the tower and began to toss paper Coca-Cola cups high into the air, allowing them to float down into the web, one by one, making a beautiful sound as they bounced off the entangled bricks and sticks, hitting the roof of the tower at last. Between the tower walls gathered a brilliant sea of red cups (more than 1000 in all). Balanced on a high ladder towering over the web below, holding a crumpled coke cup in his right hand and a torn Pepsi cup in the left, Zheng suspended his body in the shape of a cross and gazed at the distant mountains. The performance/installation piece lasted for one hour."

--From Artist Website

Black Cola
Source: Slide