2015

Medium: Clothing label and programming writing

Dimensions of each item: 35.7 x 26.3 x 12 cm

Dimensions of packaging: 41 × 28.5 × 3.5 cm

Exhibition: Museum of Art Pudong, Shanghai, 2021-2022. TOKYO Gallery + BTAP, Beijing, 2021

Starting from 2015, Xu Bing has amassed an extensive collection of clothing brand labels from numerous private enterprises. When brought together, these labels reflect the history of their entrepreneurship, development, bottlenecks, transformations, and acquisitions. Furthermore, we can perceive the brand names as carriers of people’s hopes and aspirations for the future. For this project, a “poem writing software” has been developed. The computer program searches for appropriate words and sentences among fashion label tags to create a Seven-Character Poem which is later compiled into the collection. This process also symbolizes an advancement in the creation of an “artist book.”

Materials: Benches made with salvaged Deer Isle granite,

                Text from a Poem by Li She (c. 806, C.E.),

                Carved in Square Word Calligraphy

Location: Forsyth Plaza, Chinatown, New York, U.S.A.

2015

Materials: Natural debris attached to frosted glass panel

Location: West Bund Art Center, Shanghai, China

"In 2004, I was installing an exhibition at the East Asian Art Museum in Germany. During the Second World War, 90 percent of the collection was moved to the former Soviet Union by the Soviet Red Army. Only some photos of the lost artwork are left. I hope to use the large glass showcases surrounding the existing space to create a new work that combines local history and my cultural background. I saw the potted plants behind the frosted glass wall in the office area of the airport during a connecting flight, which looked like a smudged Chinese painting. At this time, I thought of the large glass cabinets of the museum and the missing art pieces and got the inspiration for Background Story."

- Xu Bing

2015

Materials: Natural debris attached to frosted glass panel, 340 x 1680cm

Location: Three and One Thirds, Kylin Contemporary Center of Art, Beijing, China

In 2004, I was installing an exhibition at the East Asian Art Museum in Germany. During the Second World War, 90 percent of the collection was moved to the former Soviet Union by the Soviet Red Army. Only some photos of the lost artwork are left. I hope to use the large glass showcases surrounding the existing space to create a new work that combines local history and my cultural background. I saw the potted plants behind the frosted glass wall in the office area of the airport during a connecting flight, which looked like a smudged Chinese painting. At this time, I thought of the large glass cabinets of the museum and the missing art pieces and got the inspiration for Background Story.

2015

Materials: Recycled construction materials

Male Phoenix: 31 (L) x 7.2 (W) x 6.3 (H) meter

Female Phoenix: 30 (L) x 8.6 (W) x 4.7 (H) meter

Location: The 56th Venice Biennale, Theme Exhibition, All World's future, Curated by Okwui Enwezor, Arsenale, Venice, Italy