The Guggenheim Museum’s Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World presents the conceptual and performance practices that brought Chinese artists into the discourse of global contemporary art.
Xu Bing
Guggenheim Pulls Three Works from Upcoming Show After Outcry Over Animal Abuse [UPDATED]
The works by Peng Yu and Sun Yuan, Huang Yong Ping, and Xu Bing were the focus of a petition that garnered more than 600,000 signatures in the past week.
Guggenheim Accused of Supporting Animal Cruelty in New Exhibition
A petition is calling for the removal of three works, including an installation of live lizards and insects and a video of a performance involving pit bulls running on treadmills, from the forthcoming Art and China After 1989.
Cobbling a Movie Together from Surveillance Footage
Artist Xu Bing’s first feature film Dragonfly Eyes tells a story of love and obsession through footage culled entirely from videos uploaded to Chinese streaming sites.
Two Mythological Creatures Rise from the Castoffs of China’s Construction
The myth of the phoenix casting itself into the flames only to rise up stronger is powerful and monumental, with reverberations of self-sacrifice, destruction, hope, and regeneration. In an installation in the nave of Manhattan’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Chinese artist Xu Bing has realized a pair of these birds from the debris of Beijing construction sites.
A Tale of Two Phoenixes
First conceived and constructed in China, Xu Bing’s paired “Phoenix” sculptures have flown the coop and are currently nesting at MASS MoCA in Western Massachusetts.
The Beauty of Chinese Calligraphy from the Ancients to Today
SAN FRANCISCO — When learning Chinese, it’s often difficult to appreciate the subtle beauty of each character. In the mist of trying to hammer each one into memory, a Chinese learner rarely pauses to admire the carefully crafted order of strokes and hidden meanings.
Making Art from WTC Dust
Xu Bing collected and saved the dust from the obliterated World Trade Center. Ten years later, this preserved dust is the centerpiece of a temporary art installation inside an empty storefront near Madison Square Park.
China: Ai’s Arrest Irrelevant to Thriving Art Community
Finishing off this week with some Ai Weiwei news, the story continues to develop. China says Ai’s arrest has nothing to do with freedom of expression, Ai’s rocker friend is returned following a disappearance, academy Chinese artist Xu Bing disavows a relationship with politics.