This installation comprises a set of 4 handprinted books, as well as wall and ceiling scrolls printed in the style of a wood letterpress. Book from the sky certainly seemed to have fallen from the heavens. Book from the sky xi shi jian 109 by xu bing on artnet. The entire work consists of an installation comprising books, scrolls, and paper, all printed with xu s imaginary, 4000character language. The present work is a study for the artists book from the sky, a massive installation of hundreds of volumes and scrolls printed with 4,000 imagined chinese characters. Artists like xu bing, qiu zhijie, and others found in eastern philosophy the opportunity to add a distinct skein of chinese tradition onto conceptually innovative new works. Courtesy of the university art museum, state university of new york at albany. Quizlet flashcards, activities and games help you improve your grades. It also won xu bing international recognition, including the. Mixedmedia installation your snapshot will help you understand how a specific work of art connects to the ap art history frameworks three big ideas and three essential questions.
The quote also serves as an entry point to the blanton museums upcoming exhibition of book from the sky by artist xu bing. Austin, txapril 14, 2016the blanton museum of art at the university of texas at austin presents xu bing. A book from the sky, xu bing, 1988, mixed media, installation view. Book from the sky xi shi jian by xu bing on artnet auctions. A book from the sky is the piece that made the artist famous. Dubbed problem books by the artist, these encompass the works post testament bound in classical western style, and book from the sky bound in a traditional chinese manner. The book from the sky is one of the most intriguing chinese art installations of the century, and the nifty work of none other than the celebrated chinese artist xu bing. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of twentieth century chinese art, book from the sky ushered in the avantgarde movement in postmao era china. Xu bingfollowing his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing. In lewis carrolls through the looking glass 1872, the heroine alice holds a mirror to the inverted words of jabberwocky and realizes she has entered a mirror world. At first glance, and to anyone who cannot read chinese script, the pages appear simply as an elegant example of traditional chinese calligraphy, evoking the richness and sophistication of chinas long literary history. Xu bing book from the sky, 19871991, installation of handprinted books and ceiling and wall scrolls printed from wood letterpress type, ink. It was shown as an installation at the national art museum of china in 1989, covering the entirety of a large hall together with a piece in the form of a scroll entitled an analysed reflection of the world.
Xu bing had no quarrel with this criticism, and used it as the title of this worka play on words, as the word for build can also mean pound. Xu reassembled chinese radicals, designing and carving squareblock characters that look. He moved to the united states in 1990 but returned to china in 2008 to teach at his alma mater. Book from the sky to book from the ground xu bing on. If youre seeing this message, it means were having trouble loading external resources on our website. See timelines presenting important historical periods and events relevant to the asian art collection. Xu reassembled chinese radicals, designing and carving squareblock characters that look very similar to traditional chinese logographs but are entirely meaningless in terms of linguistic function. What is xu bings impressive book from the sky all about.
Xu bing following his classic work book from the sky, the chinese artist xu bing presents a new graphic novel one composed entirely of symbols and icons that are universally understood. Xu bing s tianshu book from the sky is a large installation featuring precisely laid out rows of books and hanging scrolls with written chinese texts. The first display of book from the sky was in beijing in 1988. Book from the sky 1987 made up of 4,000 handcarved and printed characters, book from the sky remains xu bing s most iconic work to date.
The galleries will also include stunning examples of traditional chinese sculpture and painting. View a wide variety of artworks by xu bing, now available for sale on artnet auctions. No matter who scours xu bing s book for meaning, they will only discover a semblance of it. Installation of handprinted books and ceiling and wall scrolls printed from wood letterpress type. If youre behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains. Born in sichuan province, xu bing studied printmaking at the central academy of fine arts in beijing. Volumes of xu bing s book from the sky 19871991 will be displayed alongside a new commission by cai guoqiang and a recent video work by yang fudong. Xu bing s iconic installation book from the sky is arguably the artists most famous work. While the medium and technique are traditionally chinese, the scale and intent of the work align it with contemporary artistic practice. Xu bing s a book from the sky 1988 chinese printmaker xu bing is a teacher at beijings prestigious central academy of fine arts and a respected practitioner of the official social realist style. Interview with xu bing on chinese contemporary art in the 1980s, by asia art archive duration.
At that time, this kind of expression was daring and new, but most startling of all were the meaningless chinese characters. The book, which consists of four volumes totaling 604 pages, was printed in a. Book from the sky and other projects have brought him considerable international renown. Made up of 4,000 handcarved and printed characters, book from the sky remains xu bing s most iconic work to date. It consists of three hanging scrolls vertically draping across the ceiling, hovering over columns and rows of books systematically arranged on the floor, surrounded by walls covered with similar scrolls. Book from the sky, first mounted in china in 1988 and 1989 and subsequently displayed many times in different countries. This magnificent installation symbolises aspects of the old and the emerging china. Tianshu is the title of a book produced by chinese artist xu bing in the style of fine editions from the song and ming dynasties, but filled entirely with meaningless glyphs designed to resemble traditional chinese characters.
Book from the sky, a monumental installation by celebrated chinese artist xu. Not really a book or a communication, book from the sky is just an idea, suggesting something infinite, the idea of a book. Book from the sky, a monumental installation by celebrated chinese artist xu bing, b. Rendered objectlike, the world has been made neither clear nor intelligible. Your snapshot is a basic, researchbased method of collecting information about a selected work of art to gain an understanding of the big. An investigation of the cultural function and meaning of language, this installation combines 300 volumes of books each previously fabricated by xu bing. This work evolved from the regular script in chinese calligraphy. A book from the sky tianshu is an installation work by xu bing, first exhibited in 1988. When xu bing 1955 first exhibited his book from the sky in beijing in 1988, the chinese were, understandably, shocked. Look closely at annotated highresolution images of scrolls, paintings, and other works. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of twentiethcentury chinese art, book from the sky ushered in the avantgarde movement in postmao era china. Xu bings studio also made a character database software that corresponds to the language of the book. The epithet was hurled at xu bing by viewers who found book of the sky incomprehensible. Materials of the future asia art archive 7,854 views.
This set of four books forms part of an eponymous installation first displayed in beijing in 1988. An installation that took xu bing over four years to complete, a book from the sky is comprised of printed volumes and scrolls containing four thousand false chinese characters invented by the artist and then painstakingly. Installation view at blanton museum of art, the university of texas at austin, 2016. A book without words, recounting a day in the life of an office worker, told completely in the symbols, icons, and logos of modern life. Book from the sky is one of the most important and groundbreaking works of. Book from the sky xu bing posted on february 1, 2014 by zjb. Twenty years ago i made book from the sky, a book of illegible chinese characters that no one could read.
A book from the sky is the title of a book produced by chinese artist xu bing in the style of fine editions from the song and ming dynasties, but filled entirely with. Users can enter words either in english or in chinese. See highlighted works from the asian art collection. The blanton museum of art at the university of texas at austin presents xu bing. Summary of a book from the sky by xu bing 1002 words. Bid now on book from the sky xi shi jian 109 by xu bing. Book from the sky with painstaking attention to traditional methods of printing and. The british museum has a set of four handprinted books that come in a walnut box, which are known by the name book from the sky, which also applies to the art installations xu bing has created using printed volumes like these.