A controversial young art duo included in the show breaks new ground with Can’t Help Myself (2016), a gigantic robot equipped with a single arm upon whose end a shovel-like object is attached. It is the brainchild of Beijing-based artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu. Described by the press release as “guard” of sorts, the robot’s duty is to contain a pool of dark liquid resembling blood as it starts to seep away. The more the substance oozes, the more frantic the robot grows, shoveling the liquid in a move that leaves behind smears and traces of red.
Can’t Help Myself, according the curator, “is itself a tale, a story, that we can say comments on our contemporary culture.”
It’s worse than that. That wasn’t a rubber bullet, that was another tear gas canister–you can see it a few seconds later in the footage when the camera pans over to the advancing cops.
And they shot him in the crotch with it.
If I were feeling charitable I’d say that the cop who fired the shell was aiming for center of mass and miscalculated the distance and hit the guy low.
But I’m not feeling charitable. It’s clear that was a deliberate malicious attack designed to hurt the guy as badly as possible with the weapon at hand. The goal was to cause him pain and intimidate bystanders.
this really is dystopic, isn’t it?
Shout out to the dude who came and helped him up
THIS IS WHY YOU BLACK BLOC. WHEN EVERYONE IS MASKED AND IN ALL BLOC, IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE POLICE TO TARGET INDIVIDUALS LIKE THIS
MASK UP, COME IN BLOC, BE PREPARED, YOU. COULD SAVE SOMEONES LIFE
Also get to know your street medics and maybe buy them a drink later. They’ll often be the ones picking you up and making sure you’re good after this shit happens
honestly im kinda done w most of the dudes who are like “””transmasc activists””” bc very little of what they talk about is relevant to my struggles or the struggles of the guys around me. like, i’m sure happy theres skinny cis passing str8 dudes here to do another pronouns 101 and talk about how gr8 ur cis girlfriend is for respecting ur gender and like do a photoshoot with a company that makes £30 underwear or whatever. but like, are you at like any point gonna talk abt the fact that >50% of trans men are survivors of sexual violence?? you gonna talk about the huge likelihood that trans boys have attempted suicide (>50%)?? you gonna talk abt the fact that almost a third of urban trans men have been or are sex workers?? you gonna talk abt the rates of alcohol and drug abuse in our community?? you gonna talk abt the fact that 36% of us are survivors of domestic violence?? or you just gonna continue w the vapid, empty platitudes that only vaguely resemble meaningful activism
we could also talk about the widespread eating disorders in our community, the intersection of race and trans manhood, the discrimination we still face (ex: poor healthcare, the fact that many of us are stuck in low-paying jobs and frequently fired, lack of presence in medical research/sex education, etc.) but the only topics that get spotlighted are like, media representation for the billionth time
