Xu Bing - 'Phoenix' 2007 & 'Book From The Sky' 1998
Over the course of two years, internationally acclaimed Chinese contemporary artist, Xu Bing, gathered together demolition and construction waste, transforming it into a pair of monumental birds, creating his most colossal site-specific, installation to date; ‘Phoenix’. The phoenix pair, giant and inebriating, are in total 190 feet long (57 meters), weigh 1.8 metric tons each, yet, hang suspended 20 feet off the ground, with such grace, they seem almost feather-light. These birds are dominating in size, but are assembled with such clarity and poise they exude a sense of comfort, whilst demanding attention. Feathers fashioned from perfectly layers shovels, heads created from jackhammers, and bodies sculpted from other salvaged construction debris, including pillars, saws, screwdrivers, plastic tubing and drills; these ‘junkyard creatures’, are laced with LED lights, illuminating their skeletons like constellations, reflecting a much deeper meaning of cultural change, a rise of economic prosperity, and global consumerism.
Xu, a conceptual artist who works over a variety of mediums – calligraphy, ink painting, sculpture and installations – was commissioned in 2007, by a Chinese real-estate developer, to create a work for the glass atrium of a to-be-developed two tower skyscrapers in the middle of the Beijing Central Business District. After a visit to the site, Xu was struck by the lives and working conditions of the construction workers. He describes this experience “like entering a large animal….you instinctively get a reaction”. He got the idea for the phoenixes, because the glass atrium “felt like a cage”, and it needed something free. After considering cranes, and peacocks, Xu settled on the phoenixes because of their symbolic duality to both the Western and Chinese cultures. However, the phoenixes never made it to the building, as the Chinese economy began to fall, the work was deemed too subversive by the developers, and the commission fell through; “Accepting the artwork became hard, and it was becoming misunderstood”. ‘Phoenix’ was abandoned and left to sit in a Chinese storage building for 2 years, until Barry Law, a Taiwanese art collector acquired the work and funded its completion.
Phoenixes are very symbolic birds, they have appeared in both Western and Eastern mythology for years, differing in form and symbolism across cultures. “In Chinese culture, the phoenix symbolises the hopes and desires for a better future, even when those hopes are not necessarily recognisable”, says Xu Bing. In the West however, the phoenix symbolizes rebirth and resurrection from the ashes of destruction. This mythology doesn’t exist in China, and encourages the audience to merge the two different meanings. Together they are symbols of luck, unity, power and prosperity; however are not to be interpreted as “easy, feel-good birds”. They are beasts, assembled from quotidian, construction materials, they embody the division between the fast paced, China of prosperity; and the working-class China of labor, who Xu saw at the construction site. “There was an intense contrast between their conditions and the beautiful and modern building being built everywhere around us”, Xu recalled. The conceptual reflection of progress, wealth and grandeur, disguises an underbelly of poverty, grit and the labor and treatment of the construction workers.
Conceptually, this work stretches far beyond the issue of unfair labour work. It is also symbolic of China’s industrialization and international globalization from Western culture. China is becoming one of the biggest and most dominating countries in the world. “Its methods, momentum and vitality is something no one understands, not even the Chinese”, quoted Xu. This work is not only a critique about China, it settles on a subject that affects us all. It’s about fair pay and human equality for all people. These issues of culture and development have been reflected in Xu’s art making practice.
“This work carries with it a flavour of China – it is of the full concern of the lowest levels of Chinese society, and it’s my way of acknowledging the practice of very poor people using the lowest materials to dress themselves with great respect”.
Created and inspired by the core of Chinese folk art – using the cheapest materials to create something that is unrealisable in daily life; Xu has made these phoenixes to “bear scars”.
“My hope is that audiences will see these Phoenixes bearing scars, but proudly, and with a great sense of self respect, flying forward. I want them to feel a sense of the power and creativity that we have as people”. The construction materials are symbolic of the scars we wear, and cannot control. For the construction workers, this is their life. The scars eventually fade and we appear whole, like a distant, detailed constellation – referring to the materials seen on the phoenixes in the light, and once its dark, and their lights are turned on they become one, beautiful, breathtaking creature. “It creates a great distance between the realities of daily life and the dreams and desires that people hold”. We no longer see the hardships it’s faced; but rather the beauty it was destined and believed to be. This work holds a message for the world. Just because we may live in certain circumstances, or live certain ways, it will never stop us from being who we always want to be.
Much of Xu Bing’s work is developed on a large scale, not just in size and material, but also conceptually. Similarly to ‘Phoenix’ aforementioned; his pieces explore ideas of language, culture, communication, and tradition. He is known for his dissident calligraphic interpretations of the Chinese language, blurring the lines of communication and expectation. His 1998 installation ‘Book from the Sky’, features thousands of mock Chinese characters, which he developed and designed himself over years, hand-carving the typesetting blocks with unique, but meaningless symbols. Creating more than 200 character symbols which look authentic at first glance, Xu is essentially removing the barrier between cultural tradition and understanding. Making the audience realize that just when we think we understand our culture, we don’t.
Xu Bing has seen firsthand China’s many transformations. Growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, Xu witnessed the entire spectrum of dramatic shifts in his country. From his parents, both teachers, being detained, forcing him to be sent to the country; up to the Tiananmen Square protests which prompted his move to the United States in 1990. His practice strongly expresses the poignant relationship between the wealthy and the poor, the equality of our modern society, and raises questions about the limits of humanities intellectual exchange.
The birds are currently being hung in the majestic nave of the Cathedral Church of St John in New York. The massive gothic-style church is the perfect location for this pair. The carved bronze doors, and high ceilings bring a deep spiritual meaning to this work. Taking flight in the middle of a spacious nave, these birds look like they wouldn’t belong anywhere else; however, the effort to get them there was a journey within itself. They arrived in New York during late January this year, 9 flatbed trucks, together weighing over 12 tones, required over 30 hoists to raise then so that they appear to be soaring through the church.
“Xu Bing’s junkyard creatures resonate with many meanings, and I thought no place would be more fitting than the cathedral’s nave”, says Judith Goldman, a writer and independent curator, who saw the phoenixes in Beijing and decided they should be shown in the United States. Dr James Kowalski, the dean of St John Cathedral, notes that throughout history the church has been used to house art, performances and exhibits. “This beautiful, even sacred installation has transformational powers”, Kowalski continues. “The birds have different meanings in different places”, Xu Bing said. “This cathedral is monumental and very lofty, the phoenixes have now been given a sacred quality”. The phoenix pair will be on show in New York for about a year.
‘Phoenix’ is definitely one of the most momentously breathtaking installations to come from Chinese contemporary art. Xu Bing has encapsulated critical issues of Chinese culture, and those similar, yet contrasting issues within our Western societies. He has communicated these perceptions through his art making practice and subversive conceptual framework; blurring the lines between language, culture, equality and tradition.
image courtesy of - http://artsindie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/12-21-12-10-MASS-MoCA.jpg
Xu, a conceptual artist who works over a variety of mediums – calligraphy, ink painting, sculpture and installations – was commissioned in 2007, by a Chinese real-estate developer, to create a work for the glass atrium of a to-be-developed two tower skyscrapers in the middle of the Beijing Central Business District. After a visit to the site, Xu was struck by the lives and working conditions of the construction workers. He describes this experience “like entering a large animal….you instinctively get a reaction”. He got the idea for the phoenixes, because the glass atrium “felt like a cage”, and it needed something free. After considering cranes, and peacocks, Xu settled on the phoenixes because of their symbolic duality to both the Western and Chinese cultures. However, the phoenixes never made it to the building, as the Chinese economy began to fall, the work was deemed too subversive by the developers, and the commission fell through; “Accepting the artwork became hard, and it was becoming misunderstood”. ‘Phoenix’ was abandoned and left to sit in a Chinese storage building for 2 years, until Barry Law, a Taiwanese art collector acquired the work and funded its completion.
Phoenixes are very symbolic birds, they have appeared in both Western and Eastern mythology for years, differing in form and symbolism across cultures. “In Chinese culture, the phoenix symbolises the hopes and desires for a better future, even when those hopes are not necessarily recognisable”, says Xu Bing. In the West however, the phoenix symbolizes rebirth and resurrection from the ashes of destruction. This mythology doesn’t exist in China, and encourages the audience to merge the two different meanings. Together they are symbols of luck, unity, power and prosperity; however are not to be interpreted as “easy, feel-good birds”. They are beasts, assembled from quotidian, construction materials, they embody the division between the fast paced, China of prosperity; and the working-class China of labor, who Xu saw at the construction site. “There was an intense contrast between their conditions and the beautiful and modern building being built everywhere around us”, Xu recalled. The conceptual reflection of progress, wealth and grandeur, disguises an underbelly of poverty, grit and the labor and treatment of the construction workers.
Conceptually, this work stretches far beyond the issue of unfair labour work. It is also symbolic of China’s industrialization and international globalization from Western culture. China is becoming one of the biggest and most dominating countries in the world. “Its methods, momentum and vitality is something no one understands, not even the Chinese”, quoted Xu. This work is not only a critique about China, it settles on a subject that affects us all. It’s about fair pay and human equality for all people. These issues of culture and development have been reflected in Xu’s art making practice.
“This work carries with it a flavour of China – it is of the full concern of the lowest levels of Chinese society, and it’s my way of acknowledging the practice of very poor people using the lowest materials to dress themselves with great respect”.
Created and inspired by the core of Chinese folk art – using the cheapest materials to create something that is unrealisable in daily life; Xu has made these phoenixes to “bear scars”.
“My hope is that audiences will see these Phoenixes bearing scars, but proudly, and with a great sense of self respect, flying forward. I want them to feel a sense of the power and creativity that we have as people”. The construction materials are symbolic of the scars we wear, and cannot control. For the construction workers, this is their life. The scars eventually fade and we appear whole, like a distant, detailed constellation – referring to the materials seen on the phoenixes in the light, and once its dark, and their lights are turned on they become one, beautiful, breathtaking creature. “It creates a great distance between the realities of daily life and the dreams and desires that people hold”. We no longer see the hardships it’s faced; but rather the beauty it was destined and believed to be. This work holds a message for the world. Just because we may live in certain circumstances, or live certain ways, it will never stop us from being who we always want to be.
Much of Xu Bing’s work is developed on a large scale, not just in size and material, but also conceptually. Similarly to ‘Phoenix’ aforementioned; his pieces explore ideas of language, culture, communication, and tradition. He is known for his dissident calligraphic interpretations of the Chinese language, blurring the lines of communication and expectation. His 1998 installation ‘Book from the Sky’, features thousands of mock Chinese characters, which he developed and designed himself over years, hand-carving the typesetting blocks with unique, but meaningless symbols. Creating more than 200 character symbols which look authentic at first glance, Xu is essentially removing the barrier between cultural tradition and understanding. Making the audience realize that just when we think we understand our culture, we don’t.
Xu Bing has seen firsthand China’s many transformations. Growing up during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, Xu witnessed the entire spectrum of dramatic shifts in his country. From his parents, both teachers, being detained, forcing him to be sent to the country; up to the Tiananmen Square protests which prompted his move to the United States in 1990. His practice strongly expresses the poignant relationship between the wealthy and the poor, the equality of our modern society, and raises questions about the limits of humanities intellectual exchange.
The birds are currently being hung in the majestic nave of the Cathedral Church of St John in New York. The massive gothic-style church is the perfect location for this pair. The carved bronze doors, and high ceilings bring a deep spiritual meaning to this work. Taking flight in the middle of a spacious nave, these birds look like they wouldn’t belong anywhere else; however, the effort to get them there was a journey within itself. They arrived in New York during late January this year, 9 flatbed trucks, together weighing over 12 tones, required over 30 hoists to raise then so that they appear to be soaring through the church.
“Xu Bing’s junkyard creatures resonate with many meanings, and I thought no place would be more fitting than the cathedral’s nave”, says Judith Goldman, a writer and independent curator, who saw the phoenixes in Beijing and decided they should be shown in the United States. Dr James Kowalski, the dean of St John Cathedral, notes that throughout history the church has been used to house art, performances and exhibits. “This beautiful, even sacred installation has transformational powers”, Kowalski continues. “The birds have different meanings in different places”, Xu Bing said. “This cathedral is monumental and very lofty, the phoenixes have now been given a sacred quality”. The phoenix pair will be on show in New York for about a year.
‘Phoenix’ is definitely one of the most momentously breathtaking installations to come from Chinese contemporary art. Xu Bing has encapsulated critical issues of Chinese culture, and those similar, yet contrasting issues within our Western societies. He has communicated these perceptions through his art making practice and subversive conceptual framework; blurring the lines between language, culture, equality and tradition.
image courtesy of - http://artsindie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/12-21-12-10-MASS-MoCA.jpg