Xu Bing, Book from the Sky, 1987-1991, at the United Art Museum, Wuhan. Mixed Media Installation
An integral member of the Chinese avant-garde since the 1980s, Xu Bing is known across the world for conceptual and installation art that engages with visual culture, media technology, and linguistic exchange. His work arises from a rigorous, theoretical foundation: he spends years researching topics like language acquisition, real and imagined writing systems, or surveillance networks, ultimately transforming his thoughts into artworks such as “Book from the Sky” (1987-1991), Ghosts Pounding the Wall (1990), “New English Calligraphy” (1994-present), “Background Story” (2004-present) or the most recent film, Dragonfly Eyes (2017). While continuing to reflect on traditional East Asian culture, he has also proven a vigilant and farsighted observer of the transformations that are occurring in contemporary society on a global scale. Xu’s layered, interdisciplinary approach is evident in his artworks’ multifaceted depth, offering viewers numerous points from which to explore.
This will be the artist’s most comprehensive institutional exhibition in Beijing, showing major works drawn from his artistic career since the 1980s. The exhibition is curated by UCCA Director Philip Tinari and independent curator Feng Boyi.
Xu Bing, Photo Courtesy of the artist and www.scad.edu
About the Artist
Xu Bing (b. 1955, Chongqing, lives and works in Beijing) has exhibited at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (2017), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2014), the Victoria and Albert Museum (2013-2014), MoMA (1999-2000, 2007, 2012), and the British Museum (2011), among other major international institutions. His work has appeared in the 1993 and 2015 editions of the Venice Biennale, the 2012 São Paulo Biennial, and the 2000 Biennale of Sydney. He has mounted one-person exhibitions including: “Book from the Sky” (Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas, Austin, 2016); “Xu Bing: Things Are Not What They First Appear” (Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art, Georgia, 2015); “Xu Bing: A Retrospective” (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2014); “Traveling to the Wonderland” (Victoria & Albert Museum, 2013-2014); “Xu Bing: Landscape Landscript” (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 2013); and “Xu Bing: The Living Word” (Morgan Library and Museum, New York, 2011); “Background Story 7” (British Museum, 2011); “Word Play: Contemporary Art by Xu Bing” (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C., 2001); “Xu Bing; and “Xu Bing: Introduction to Square Word Calligraphy” (New Museum, New York). He is the recipient of numerous international awards, including the MacArthur Fellowship (1999) and the U.S. Department of State Medal of Arts (2014).
About the exhibition
Dates: 2018.7.21 - 2018.10.18
Venue: Great Hall, UCCA
Courtesy of the artist and UCCA, for further information please visit http://ucca.org.cn.
