Xu Bing

Xu Bing (Chinese: 徐冰 b. 1955) is a Chinese-born artist, resident in the United States since 1990. Born in Chongqing in 1955, Xu grew up in Beijing. In 1975, near the end of the Cultural Revolution, he was relocated to the countryside for two years. In 1977, he enrolled at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, receiving an MFA in 1987. In 1990 he moved to the United States, where he lives today. In 1990-91, Xu had his first exhibition... more

Xu Bing (Chinese: 徐冰 b. 1955) is a Chinese-born artist, resident in the United States since 1990. Born in Chongqing in 1955, Xu grew up in Beijing. In 1975, near the end of the Cultural Revolution, he was relocated to the countryside for two years. In 1977, he enrolled at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, receiving an MFA in 1987. In 1990 he moved to the United States, where he lives today. In 1990-91, Xu had his first exhibition in the United States at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Elvehjem Museum of Art (now Chazen Museum of Art) including his installations Book from the Sky and Ghosts Pounding the Wall. In Book from the Sky, the artist invented 4000 characters and hand-carved them into wood blocks, then used them as movable type to print volumes and scrolls, which are displayed laid out on the floor and hung from the ceiling. The vast planes of text seem to convey ancient wisdom, but are in fact unintelligible. The Glassy Surface of a Lake, a site-specific... less