Weight expectations

Performance artist Wang Jun, 29, is living on a set of scales spanning three square meters where he drinks, sleeps but doesn't eat as part of a public fast and personal mission to shed 7.5 kilograms. He hasn't eaten a hearty meal since he stepped onto the scales in a room at the Yihe Hotel on March 18, and doesn't plan to either until he wraps up his project dubbed "Keep Fit 15" - a reference to the number of jin, a Chinese weight measurement equal to 0.5 kilograms - on Wednesday, April 18. Under the close surveillance of a camera that records his daily life and streams it online, Wang's controversial comeback within artistic circles comes after his three-month hiatus last year when he was jailed for his role as curator of an unauthorized art exhibition.

Art imitating reality

Wang's personal project has been viewed as a cross between reality TV shows Big Brother and The Biggest Loser, albeit involving an artistic goal and monk-like discipline. "I needed to stop and step aside for a while to reorganize my thoughts and rethink my purpose in life," explained the Beijing-based artist, who is 1.71 meters tall and started his campaign at 67 kilograms. He currently tips the scales at around 61 kilograms, roughly a kilogram shy of his target weight.

"I realized that refusing daily comforts and embracing abstinence would help me rebalance my body and mind," added Wang behind a puff of smoke from his only vice during the month-long campaign - cigarettes. Wang claims he is pushing physical and psychological boundaries that come from playing out a private struggle in public. As friends and curious onlookers greet or photograph Wang, it's clear that silence and shutting himself away from society isn't a requirement.

"I want people to monitor and supervise my weight-loss program with objectivity," said Wang, who can be viewed via a streaming video broadcast on his Weibo microblog. "This is a project of spiritual cleansing. I want to highlight the social realities of greed, pleasure-seeking and the need to embrace that which is popular," Wang uttered between drags of his cigarette.

Aside from watching Wang indulge in his hits of nicotine, watchers of his webcast aren't in for riveting viewing. Most of his day is occupied by watching a TV in front of him, performing his daily exercises and compiling a journal of his day-to-day experiences. Wang logs the time, temperature as well as his feelings and thoughts throughout his experiment to slim down. "I do my business here," gestured Wang, as he parted a curtain to reveal bottles of urine. Wang's main form of sustenance comes from soup.

Voyeuristic appeal

As our interview progressed, more curious people trickled into the hotel eager to ask Wang questions of their own and listen to what he had to say of his bold yet medically risky endeavor.

As is often with the case with performance art, many people question the merit of labeling a man standing on scales as "art." Wang insists his project isn't merely about changing his body shape in the pursuit of vanity, saying he wants people to learn from his exploits. "By changing myself I want to influence others to change, too," he implored. "People's reactions to this experiment are what matters most."

The artist has received mixed feedback to his weight loss on Weibo scheme. Some people have been supportive, such as a personal trainer who volunteered to help Wang lose weight after he saw the artist's daily reports on his microblog, to a mysterious lady who visited Wang's cramped quarters to use his makeshift bathroom. "I was here talking to a group of friends when she came in and asked to use my restroom. She spent nearly an hour inside, thanked me and then left," recalled Wang. "When my friend asked her what she had been up to, she replied that had seen the project online and stopped by because her shower at home was broken."

Wang's choice to broadcast his weight loss efforts online stems from his view of the Internet as a "wonderful communication tool that brings people together."

"Artistically speaking, it's a new window that helps people track new trends and changes and broadens their artistic horizons," he explained. "The disadvantage of the Internet is that it's like fast-food. People can consume an explosive intake of information that isn't carefully selected." At the start of his project, Wang described it as "a metaphor of the current inflated era which should lose some weight."

Courting controversy

In a country where reality TV shows are often a source of controversy, Wang's project has been viewed largely by the public as a novelty. "I don't know what the final result will be. I'll leave the scales when I lose 15 jin. My experiment is the essence of performance," Wang noted. His "Keep Fit Deal 15" is currently part of a larger exhibition titled "Heyi 798 Art Project" involving around 60 artists being held in the Chaoyang district hotel, which also paid 1,000 yuan ($158) for Wang's customized scales.

Wang, who hails from East China's Shandong Province, initially focused on painting and photography while studying at the Yunnan Arts Institute before turning his focus to performance art. He often uses his own body as the centerpiece of works, with his most infamous projects including impersonating a scarecrow on a crucifix, burying himself in snow and dressing in a suit made out of yuan bills. His work never received much attention until he was detained last year for curating the banned Incidental Arts Festival.

Without revealing the type of pressure he'll inflict on his body next time, Wang is already working on his new project: a social network for artists where they can share ideas. "It's not easy being an artist in Beijing, but it's an exciting environment," Wang said with a grin.