Xu Bing gave a lecture entitled “What Counts as Art Today?” at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Changgang Campus on December 9, 2019.

This lecture was hosted by the Institute for Advanced Studies of Images and History. Xu Bing showed students of GAFA his manuscripts that had rarely appeared before. First, Xu Bing elaborated the concept of "Today" in detail. He believed that with the rapid development of science and technology, the traditional art is not able to meet the spiritual standard or deliver the meaning of contemporary art. Artist “Today” should understand the current social context and reconstruct language of art. Then, Xu Bing used a number of artwork as cases such as "Where Does the Dust Itself Collect?" and "Book from the Ground" to describe his thinking process. He emphasized that art is an effective expression of art's own language, rather than a superficial display of difficult philosophical theories or technological means.