Big Hug / video / hdv / color / loop / no sound / 2011In a banal sort of way, the work shows several kinds of hugs, which are used toexamine the cultural mechanisms that allow hugging to be a sociological phenomenonnowadays. It is rather pathetic that the Free Hug campaign, a global phenomenon, hasspread worldwide, like a real epidemic. The whole thing began when Juan Mannlanded on the Sidney airport, with no one to greet him. He then took a piece ofcardboard and a marker and wrote on it that he gave hugs for free. At first, people justlooked at him in wonder, but then a woman approached him, gave him a hug and toldhim her daughter had been killed one year before and she knew exactly how he felt.That was the beginning of the Free Hug campaign. There are similar campaigns in ourregion as well.