Filial piety (Xiao Jing) is one of the virtues of Confucian thought (孝): a love and respect for one’s parents and ancestors. In the West we talk of filial piety in the context of fraternal love, indeed all benevolent actions.
Street Artist ROBBBB in Beijing is contemplating, as most of us do in our 20s, what his connection is to his society and his family and ancestors especially as a representative of the future as well as the past. One aspect that stays more or less the same in every culture is what our bodies look like, even if our clothing and hairstyles are in a continuous evolution. Today our bodies are changing as well thanks to plastic surgery and additive technology.
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
With this essential self examination ROBBB brings it up to date with his own Street Art campaign called “Selfie foreward”, a series of painted portions of his own body wheat-pasted on the streets. He segments the view of his corpus, giving a closer examination of physical details down to the follicle texture, augmented by an abstractly patterned wrapping across the surface that looks like projected light waves or an ultra-thin metal-alloy plating of decorative skin. Perhaps ROBBBB is seeing himself as a cyborg of organic and biomechatronic body parts.
“This series is about my body,” ROBBBB says, “There is an old saying China that goes “Our bodies-to every hair and bit of skin – are received from our parents.” In any case, he says, with this very original take on the relatively modern selfie, “I’ve been thinking deeply about contradictions and conflicts between youth as a social group and my place in society.”
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
ROBBB “Selfie Forward” Beijing, China. May 2016. (photo © ROBBBB)
Other Articles You May Like from BSA:
Coming up May 1st will be the release date of the new self-published book by street artists/contemporary artists Saman & Sasan Oskouei called Object / Subject. They are also releasing a Box set, ...
Today we speak with Analí Chanquia and Vanesa Galdeano, who are known professionally together as MEDIANERAS. They are originally from Argentina but presently they live in Barcelona; together they ha...
Active on the city’s urban art scene since the 70s and 80s as a teen hitting up trains on the Broadway line, this New Yorker transitioned to studio art thirty five years ago and never lost his love fo...
Friendly reminder that the Delusional Art Competition is coming up and if you are going to submit your artwork to this years big shoo with Jonathan Levine Projects you have about 53 days. How Long? ...
Welcome to BSA Images of the Week! Happy Pride parade! Happy Os Gemeos show at Lehman Maupin! Happy retirement Mr. Biden! There is so much more to say, but gotta run. New York streets ...