Art student in US dons dozens of hazmat suits to process trauma of China’s zero-Covid lockdowns

Chinese artist Zhisheng Wu squeezed into dozens of hazmat suits before he walked through New York City’s Times Square on October 16, 2022. Wu, who came to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, said he experienced China’s Covid lockdowns in 2020 and felt powerless under the severe restrictions. He said his performance was an “expression of personal emotions” he felt at the time. “As a tiny individual, I really need to vent out some of these emotions,” Wu said. “I must do this for myself.”