The exhibition “Language & the Art of Xu Bing”
Organized by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM, from the Portuguese acronym) of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the exhibition “Language & the Art of Xu Bing” was inaugurated on 8 November, on the second floor of MAM. The exhibition features 30 representative works, drafts and small-sized works by Xu Bing, including Book from the Sky, Book from the Ground and Square Word Calligraphy Classroom, the magnum opuses of his accomplishments and prominence in the international art arena, as well as the experimental trials and rough sketches leading to their completion. The exhibition is held on the first floor, the special exhibition room on the second and third floors of the museum until 4 March 2018.
The exhibition’s inauguration was officiated by the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government, Leung Hio Ming; the Assistant of the Deputy Director of the Department of Publicity and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao S.A.R., Shao Bin;;; the artist Xu Bing; the Executive Director of the United Art Museum of Wuhan, Lu Hong; the curator Feng Boyi; the President of the Macau Artist Society, Lai Ieng; and the Director of the Macao Museum of Art, Chan Kai Chon.
In the opening speech, the Director of the Macao Museum of Art Chan Kai Chon applauded the exploratory endeavours of Xu Bing’s works, referring that his approach to the re-interpretation of traditional Chinese painting in non-conventional media is very inspiring.
Xu Bing was born in Chongqing, China, in 1955 and was raised in Beijing. He is currently a professor and PhD thesis supervisor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). He resides and works in Beijing and New York. His artworks are frequently exhibited in major art museums and art institutions around the world and won numerous visual art awards.
Xu Bing expresses his creativity through various media, including calligraphy, ink-wash painting and installation art. He is regarded as a pioneering artist with international influence. His creativity has been centred around the visual expression of written symbols, using the text as the root of culture to express and discuss the possibilities of cultural exchanges and the universal characteristics of art in the era of globalization. By altering written symbols, he constantly touches upon and transforms the conventional thinking of mankind, inspiring the viewers to have new thoughts with unique set of vocabularies. This exhibition not only presents the achievements of an artist to the audience, but also supports the logical thinking of Xu Bing’s artistic creation. It is certainly an exhibition worth visiting.
In addition, a dialogue session between the artist and the curators and a guided tour were successfully concluded on 5 and 7 November, respectively. The audience was interested in Xu Bing’s logic and methodology of language conversion, was amazed by his creative artistic thinking, and also responded by raising interesting questions. The exhibition also features reading areas and guided tours, inviting the public to explore Xu Bing’s creative thought.
The Macao Museum of Art is located at Avenida Xian Xing Hai, NAPE, and is open daily from 10am to 7pm from Tuesday to Sunday, including on public holidays (no admission after 6:30pm) and closes on Mondays. Admission is free. For more information, please visit MAM’s website at www.mam.gov.mo. For enquiries, please contact MAM through tel. no. (853) 8791 9814 during opening hours.
