Mar 02, 2015 the exhibition included such major works as xu bings book from the sky, ghosts pounding the wall, 1st class and massive new installation of background story series. Mar 12, 2020 xu bing publicly exhibited book from the sky for the first time in 1988 at the china art gallery now national art museum of china 1 in beijing. He moved to the united states in 1990 but returned to china in 2008 to teach at his alma mater. The critics began to write about an emergent xu bing phenomenon. Xu bing is a contemporary chinese installation artist and one of chinas bestknown creative figures.
Interview with xu bing on chinese contemporary art in the 1980s. Perhaps the idea behind this project is too ambitious, but its significance rests in making the. Xu bingfollowing his classic work book from the sky, the chinese. What is xu bings impressive book from the sky all about. In book from the sky, what xu wanted to create is a huge, empty space free of meaning and content, without giving people any hint of specificity. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of twentieth century chinese art, book from the sky ushered in the avantgarde movement in postmao era china. Even so, this work challenges our very approach to language because of the unique nature of the text written on the paper.
Histories, real and imagined our mission is to provide a free, worldclass education to anyone, anywhere. Summary of a book from the sky by xu bing 1002 words. An installation that took xu bing over four years to complete, a book from the sky is comprised of printed volumes and scrolls containing four thousand false chinese characters invented by the artist and then painstakingly. Book from the sky 1987 made up of 4,000 handcarved and printed characters, book from the sky remains xu bing s most iconic work to date. Jul 24, 2014 xu bing, a book from the sky, 1988, installation. Now i have created book from the ground, a book that anyone can read. Chinese printmaker xu bing is a teacher at beijings prestigious central academy of fine arts and a respected practitioner of. While the medium and technique are traditionally chinese, the scale and intent of the work align it with contemporary artistic practice.
Xu bing s a book from the sky 1988 chinese printmaker xu bing is a teacher at beijings prestigious central academy of fine arts and a respected practitioner of the official social realist style. Austin, txapril 14, 2016the blanton museum of art at the university of texas at austin presents xu bing. Some conclude his approach to art was influenced by his term at a reeducation camp during the tumultuous cultural revolution. Xu reassembled chinese radicals, designing and carving squareblock characters that look. A book without words, recounting a day in the life of an office worker, told completely in the symbols, icons, and logos of modern life. From point to point can be purchased from various bookstores and websites. At first glance, and to anyone who cannot read chinese script, the pages appear simply as an elegant example of traditional chinese calligraphy, evoking the richness and sophistication of chinas long literary history. This article will first make a brief description of xu bing, and then analyzing his three most famous works and installations, tian shu book from the sky, square word calligraphy, and di shu book from the ground to explore his art world and his comprehension of the world. Xu bings tianshu book from the sky is a large installation featuring precisely laid out rows of books and hanging scrolls with written chinese texts. The epithet was hurled at xu bing by viewers who found book of the sky incomprehensible. Twenty years ago i made book from the sky, a book of illegible chinese characters that no one could read. A recipient of macarthur fellowship, xu bing is celebrated for his capacity to contribute importantly to society, particularly in printmaking and calligraphy. The monumental scroll challenges received notions of nation, history, and identity, posing a daunting. Following his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing presents a new graphic novelone composed entirely of symbols and icons that are universally understood.
Book from the sky to book from the ground, eslite gallery, taipei, 2012. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of twentiethcentury chinese art, book from the sky ushered in the avantgarde movement in postmao era china. Book from the sky was an expression of my doubts regarding extant written languages. The exhibition included such major works as xu bings book from the sky, ghosts pounding the wall, 1st class and massive new installation of background story series. It also won xu bing international recognition, including the prestigious macarthur foundation genius. Installation of handprinted books and ceiling and wall scrolls printed from wood letterpress type. Xu bing book from the sky 198791 mixed media installation handprinted books and scrolls printed from blocks inscribed with false characters. An internationally acclaimed chinese contemporary artist, xu enrolled in the central academy of fine arts in beijing and received a master of fine arts degree in printmaking in 1987. Jul 20, 2011 xu bing s book from the ground ill get around to the explanation in a minute, but the main thing i wanted to do in this post is to quote the first paragraph of an avantgarde novelinprogress, the book from the ground, by the contemporary artist xu bing. When xu bing 1955 first exhibited his book from the sky in beijing in 1988, the chinese were, understandably, shocked. The blanton museum of art at the university of texas at austin presents xu bing.
According to the speaker, what strategy used by xu bing to create meaning in book from the sky is seen in the work of other contemporary chinese artists. Chinese printmaker xu bing is a teacher at beijings prestigious central academy of fine arts and a respected practitioner of the official social realist style. Installation view at blanton museum of art, the university of texas at austin, 2016. Xu bings a book from the sky 1988 chinese printmaker xu bing is a teacher at beijings prestigious central academy of fine arts and a respected practitioner of. Jun 23, 2016 xu bing book from the sky 198791 mixed media installation handprinted books and scrolls printed from blocks inscribed with false characters. This installation comprises a set of 4 handprinted books, as well as wall and ceiling scrolls printed in the style of a wood letterpress. A book from the sky tianshu is an installation work by xu bing, first exhibited in 1988. Art as a form of thinking, a lecture by noted scholar john rajchman, columbia university, investigated the way various modes of thinking are given play in xu bings. Xu bing following his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing presents a new graphic novel one composed entirely of symbols and icons that are universally understood. Book from the sky, a monumental installation by celebrated chinese artist xu bing. Book from the sky and other projects have brought him considerable international renown.
It consists of three hanging scrolls vertically draping across the ceiling, hovering over columns and rows of books systematically arranged on the floor, surrounded by walls covered with similar scrolls. In response to his own book from the sky, a work dated 30 years earlier whose language is illegible to anyone, book from the ground is legible to all. The first display of book from the sky was in beijing in 1988. Sep 29, 2017 when xu bing 1955 first exhibited his book from the sky in beijing in 1988, the chinese were, understandably, shocked. The arts of asia are examined in a cultural and historical context, and they are integrated with an online education center designed for visitors of all ages. Book from the sky xi shi jian by xu bing on artnet auctions. Selections from the princeton university art museums collection of more than 6,000 works of asian art are presented alongside ongoing curatorial and scholarly research.
Book from the earth is the expression of my quest for the ideal of a single script. Installation of books and scrolls printed from carved wood types of invented characters, ink on paper, dimensions variable. Following his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing presents a new graphic novel. June 19, 2016 january 22, 2017 the blanton museum of art at the university of texas at austin presents xu bing.
Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to. Xu bing spent seven years gathering materials, experimenting, revising, and arranging thousands of pictograms to construct the narrative of book from the. Eighteen years later in 2008, xu returned to beijing where he now serves as the vice president at his alma mater. This work evolved from the regular script in chinese calligraphy. The british museum has a set of four handprinted books that come in a walnut box, which are known by the name book from the sky, which also applies to the art installations xu bing has created using printed volumes like these. Made up of 4,000 handcarved and printed characters, book from the sky remains xu bings most iconic work to date.
From the metropolitan museum of art, xu bing, book from the sky ca. Made up of 4,000 handcarved and printed characters, book from the sky remains xu bing s most iconic work to date. Xu bing s tianshu book from the sky is a large installation featuring precisely laid out rows of books and hanging scrolls with written chinese texts. Tianshu is the title of a book produced by chinese artist xu bing in the style of fine editions from the song and ming dynasties, but filled entirely with meaningless glyphs designed to resemble traditional chinese characters. See available prints and multiples, works on paper, and installation for sale and learn about the artist. Xu bing spent seven years gathering materials, experimenting, revising, and arranging. The result is a readable story without words, an account of twentyfour hours in the life of mr. Xu bing had no quarrel with this criticism, and used it as the title of this worka play on words, as the word for build can also mean pound. His artwork the book from the sky was an arrangement of large pieces of paper, which appeared to be covered in chinese calligraphy, but in fact were meaningless symbols. Xu bings a book from the sky 1988 chinese printmaker xu bing is a teacher at beijings prestigious central academy of fine arts and a respected practitioner of the official social realist style. Xu bings work evidences an ongoing preoccupation with language and text. Xu bing has been undertaking his book from the ground project since 2003. It is an expression of xu bing s longstanding vision of a universal language.
While xu bings students were making agitprop art, including a 30ft statue of the goddess of democracy, his father was dying of lung cancer. Xu came to the us in 1990 as a visiting artist and eventually established a studio in brooklyn, ny. This superb production, by which we mean the creation of the entire limited edition of one hundred copies of a book from the. Find an indepth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices. This magnificent installation symbolises aspects of the old and the emerging china. Summary of a book from the sky by xu bing 1002 words bartleby.