Dinosaurs is an installation of colossal volume, presenting a dinosaur halved and spaced into two vitrines (10 × 2 × 3m each) respectively. Modelled primarily in the language of sculpture, the enormous animal was stuffed with real viscera by the artist, whose design allows his audience to walk through this work. The existence of this piece, in terms of its configuration, refers precisely to the internationally acclaimed contemporary artwork The Shark (as well as Mother and Child Divided) by Damien Hirst. If the British artist refreshes the definition and value of contemporary art by displaying animal specimens preserved in formaldehyde, then it is not unfair to say that the pastiche by XU Zhen, who follows his visual presentation faithfully, is likely to serve as a retort towards the pieces that go down in art history. Back in 2007, XU exhibited this work in a show entitled NONO. "I am quite satisfied with the work, for it is so abundantly boring." said the artist commenting on his own production. In this sense, perhaps the articulation of boredom was no other than what he pursued in his artistic career of that time.
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