Chameleon

2018

Video

7’36’’

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"Chameleon" showcases a stage magic show modeled after a political debate program. The "dichotomous flags" serve as the backdrop for this magic theater. While performing face-changing magic, the politician-magician successively imitates the gestures and expressions of ten political figures during their speeches and debates. This magic show metaphorically juxtaposes the identities of actors, politicians, and magicians, interspersing classic magic tricks like face-changing, color-changing scarves, and producing money out of thin air. In a context where discourse is vague or even absent, it emphasizes a purely physical mimicry of political figures' speeches. The two magician assistants perform mirrored movements, with their green screen props divided in two, creating reference areas on either side of the stage scenery. However, these videos only capture fragmented details of the political figures' body movements during their speeches. The blurry and fragmented video details echo the politician-magician's physical mimicry show, piecing together a portrait of the figures for the audience, serving as a reference to some "spiritual fathers."

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