The Death and Burial of the First Emperor of China

In The Death and Burial of the First Emperor of China, T.J. Wilcox weaves together a narrative from real-life shots, animation, television footage and clips from auteur films. For example, the illustrious protagonist is represented by Federico Fellini’s Casanova.

As with other works by T. J. Wilcox, this short film is a dialogue between fiction and documentary. Historical funerals become memento mori acquiring many unexpected meanings in the artist’s hands.

The Death and Burial of the First Emperor of China by T.J. Wilcox was shown for the first time by the Pinault Collection during the 2008 “Passage du temps” (‘Passage of Time”) exhibition at the Tri Postal in Lille.