Xijing Men
Welcome to Xijing – Xijing Olympics
Welcome to Xijing – Xijing Olympics is the third of five chapters in the Xijing series. Produced concurrently to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Xijing Men stage their own versions of the Olympics, comprising events such as shot-put throwing with eggs, relay races with cigarettes instead of batons, and marathon naps, often umpired by family members and children. Through slapstick skits, they satirize the spectacle of stately ceremonies by playing on the absurdity of state pomp, for a reflection on modern society.
The Xijing Men hail, conceptually, from the fictitious city of Xijing, an imagined state in East Asia. The term Xijing meaning “western capital” etymologically draws from the names of cities in China, Korea and Japan. Relying on humor, satire, sarcasm and absurdity, the collective explores mythology, tradition, politics, government, and economics by staging mock cultural and sporting events. Formed as a response to poor continental relations between the three nations, the collective creates scenarios that question the role of the nation-state.