Xu Bing has designed a calligraphic system known as Square Word Calligraphy in which English words come to resemble Chinese characters. Like a linguistic breeder, the artist combines Chinese calligraphy with English writing to create a new “species”. However, it is different from the nonsensical characters in Book from the Sky which breed feelings of suspicion and confusion in the viewer. Upon reading Square Word Calligraphy, these conflicts are resolved with the immediate revelation that the work contains “real” text. Through this praocess, Xu Bing has introduced a novel Eastern art form into the Western cultural sphere. It transcends established notions of Chinese and English, reshaping perceptual norms and challenging the very foundation of cognition.

After developing this lettering system, Xu Bing created a new installation piece modeled on adult literacy classes within the exhibition space. He also added a textbook, an instructional video, and a practice sheet just like those used in classroom settings. When the audience goes into the gallery, it is as if he or she enters a study space.

1994

Location: Beijing, China

Materials: Performance media installation with live animal / Live pig, books, mannequin, wood blocks, ink

Cultural Animal was created as an extension of an earlier project titled A Case Study of Transference. In this work, a life-sized mannequin covered in false-character tattoos is placed inside an enclosure containing a male pig, also tattooed. The objective at play is to observe the pig’s reaction towards the mannequin and to create an absurd and unpredictable drama. The unexpected outcome occurs when the pig exhibits aggressive sexual behavior towards the mannequin. The entire process was documented and later exhibited through photographs in 1998. 

1994

Location: Beijing, China

Materials: Performance, mixed media installation / Live parrot 

For this performance art piece, Xu Bing trained a parrot to communicate certain sentiments to the gallery audiences. Throughout the exhibition, the parrot remains in its cage and recites pre-learned phrases, some of which include: 

“You people are so boring!”

“Modern art is crap!”

“Why are you holding me prisoner, you bastards!”

1994

Materials: Mixed media installation / Live silkworms and books

Every summer since 1994, Xu Bing has engaged in a recurring project in the United States that involves raising live silkworms. Together, these projects constitute a single, ongoing series. In Silkworm Books, silkworm moths lay their black eggs on the blank pages of open books. The thousands of egg markings cumulatively create a "printed text," evoking the script of some mysterious, secret language. During the opening of the installation, the eggs are already very close to hatching. In the days following, as the eggs hatch, the text is altered and dissipated as the black dots gradually disappear and transform into thousands of squiggling black lines (the young silkworms) that proceed to crawl out from between the pages of the books, startling the viewer confronted with these foreign volumes.