The historical "Long March" is the central heroic myth of the Chinese Communist Party. After the communist uprising was crushed by the National Army, Mao withdrew with his group to the Jinggang Mountains. Following further defeats, Mao Zedong founded the independent line of Chinese Communism and marched from Zunyi to Yan'an. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the "Long March" was propagated as a symbol of strength and resistance.
Qin Ga's two-part work depicts a very impressive connection between movement through public space, memory and collective history.
In 2002 a team of artists set out from Ruijin to Yan'an. Qin Ga, who had stayed in Peking, had the journey tattooed bit by bit on his back and photographed. As the second part of the work, the artist followed this journey personally in 2005 and was tattooed during stays from the Luding Bridge to Yan'an.
1st Biennial of the National Gallery Prague, 2005

Qin Ga, born 1971 in Inner Mongolia, lives and works in China.
www.longmarchspace.com