我近几年的工作方向主要针对身体的味觉与触觉的多种可能性的探讨，主要有两个方面：其一是社会原因。1993年入住北京东郊的画家村“东村”后，与几个朋友尝试用身体做艺术，针对自己在现实生活中生存状况及精神的批判性，形式上是用暴力手段改变自己。 这期间，与当地的警察发生了冲突，两次被抓进公安局，在这种现实情景中，我的内心产生郁闷、焦虑的心态，得了自闭症，不喜欢与别人交流。1995年一年的时间里，基本断绝了与社会上任何来往，坐在家中思考、看书。其二是生理原因。由于长时间住在阴暗、潮湿的房间中，很少活动，得了腰间盘突出症，心态上产生很多奇怪的念头。白天很少与人交谈，夜晚入睡后，做很多梦，梦的内容大多是参加集会、舞会等，这种渴望交流的愿望使我产生了一种本能的冲动。
坐在家中，环顾四周都是日常用品，我就顺手拿来与它们交流(舔)。例如：皮鞋、镜子、刀片、灯泡、木头、水、书籍、蜡烛等。但是，给我味觉留下深刻体会是活性物质与动物：舔火的一瞬间，钻心的疼痛后，就出现恶心呕吐的反应，麻木，吃什么都没有味道，舌尖上还有一些水泡。动物中，猫毛表面有一层腥味，它会随着舌头的走向摇摆，非常敏感。而狗是味觉大师，它的舌头上有液体，伸缩自如，但充满了温情。给我印象最深的是蜥蜴与蛇的外皮，舔在上面充满了冰凉的腥味，有一种阴森的感觉，很是恐怖。
随着舔的物品的增多，我开始有选择地舔中国文化的象征物与标志性的建筑物。在天安门前趴下时，旁边的警察喊到“地上脏，快点起来”，我以为他怕我把衣服弄脏，当我伸出舌头舔时，地面充满了人痰与灰尘，味道奇怪。另外是我在哈尔滨731细菌部队纪念馆时，趴在地上舔时，地面干燥、苦涩，周围充满了令人窒息的空气。天坛、长城的地面有一种意味深长的神灵的气息，我是以一种虔诚的心态做这些作品的。饮食文化在中国几千年文化发展中占有重要地位，这也是中国人寻找生理快感的方式之一，中国人对食品味觉很重视，不讲究营养结构，这与西方人重视营养结构，而不重视味觉的饮食方式正好相反，所以我称之为中国文化为上半身文化，而西方为下半身文化。所以中国人更适合做舔的作品。
About My "Communication" Series
Cang Xin
The main direction my work has taken in recent years has been one of exploring the manifold possibilities of the physical senses of taste and touch, There are two main aspects to my work; the first is social, In 1993 I moved to the“East Village” artist community on the eastern outskirts of Beijing, and along with some other firends began using my body to make art. In my works I used violent methods to transform myself.  During that time, we had some run-ins with the local police and l was twice arrested and taken to the police station, living in such a reality, I sank into a depressed and anxious state, I avoided socialising with others. For the whole of 1995 I had practically no contact with the rest of society, and instead sat at home thinking and reading.
 The second aspect of my work arose from physiological reasons: after staying for long periods of time in my damp and gloomy room, seldom moving about, I suffered from a herniated disc in my back, and many strange ideas appeared in my mind. During the day I had very little contact with people, and after falling asleep at night I had many dreams. My dreams were mostly about attending meetings, parties and other social gatherings; there was a yearning for communication in me that gave rise to a kind of instinctive impulse.
  Sitting in my home, looking around, I found I was surrounded on all sides by everyday objects. In no particular order,just as they came to hand, I grabbed them and "communicated" with them (licked them). The list included a shoe, a mirror, a razor blade, a light bulb, wood, water, books, a candle and so on. However, the things that gave me the most profound taste experiences were living substances and animals, the instant my tongue touched fire, after the piercing pain, it caused a reaction of nausea and retching. For two or three days the tip of my tongue was numb and blistered, and I couldn't taste the fiavour of anything I ate. When I licked mustard, my nose was filled with an irritating fiavour , my tongue swelled and water streamed from my eyes. Out of the animals, the cat had a fishy-smelling film on the surface of its fur; it was extremely sensitive and would follow the direction of the tongue with its body movements.The dog is a master taster, with a tongue that is wet but full of warmth, that stretches out and draws back with a smooth flexibility, It was the scaly skins of lizards and snakes that gave me the deepest impression. Their surfaces are coveredwith a fishy-smelling coldness, and have a macabre feeling that is quite terrifying.
As the list of things I have licked increased, I started to be more selective in my licking, choosing objects that represent Chinese culture and symbolic buildings. When I prostrated myself on the ground in front of Tian'anmen Gate,the policeman standing nearby shouted "The ground is dirty, get up off there!" I thought he was concerned I would get my clothes dirty. When I stuck out my tongue and licked the ground, it was covered with dust and people's phlegm, and tasted very strange. On the other hand, when I licked the ground at the Unit 731 Museum (Japanese Germ Warfare Experimental Base) in Harbin, I found it to be dry and bitter, and there was a stifling feeling in the air. The ground at both the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall had a sort of deeply meaningful, magical flavour. I carried out those works in a pious and devoted frame of mind. The culture of eating and drinking has been developing in China for a few thousand years, and occupies an important position in Chinese culture as a whole. It is one of the ways in which the Chinese seek physiological pleasure; Chinese people attach much importance to the taste of food, paying little attention to its nutritional content. This is just the opposite of Westerners, who regard the nutritional content of food as more important han the way it tastes. My way of describing this is to say that Chinese culture is an upper body culture while Western culture is a lower body culture. Works that involve licking are therefore best done by a Chinese person.