Tarnished and yet lustrous- stiff wings and feathers caught mid-flight as they unfurl, protrude and reach through the static air surrounding the colossal creatures. Through Xu Bing’s 2010 work “Phoenix”, audiences are presented with a culmination of found objects, politics and industrial growth. Demolition debris, steel beams, tools and other remnants Xu Bing harvested from construction sites in Urban China. Through this work, Xu Bing hopes to offer an inside view of “New China” by symbolically commenting upon the poor labour conditions that support its massive commercial and spatial industry. The works striking beauteous is at ends with its rough and dilapidated exterior, as described by Xu Bing himself, the work is “at once ugly and magnificent”. The installation is a perfect example of how the history and culture of China is rapidly progressing and changing, and serves as a platform for addressing the major contemporary issues within China’s Urban landscape. The work has been installed in various locations including St John the Divine Cathedral in New York (2014), the Today Art Museum in Beijing, Expo10 in Shanghai and most recently at MASS MoCA in Massachusetts.
The concept behind Bing’s material practice emerged when he was first commissioned to create a sculpture for the World Financial Center in Beijing, 2008.
Migrant laborers who built this, and similar luxury skyscrapers under such miserable conditions struck the heartstrings of Mr. Xu, hence his decision to make the phoenixes ascend from the remains of workers’ tools and debris. Initial plans for “Phoenix” to be made purely from industrial detritus was rejected by developers as they were apprehensive about what kind of political statement it would make in a already financially struggling country.
Instead, the materials were fabricated outside of Beijing in a factory over two years with references made to Bing’s personal drawings and computer-generated models.
The suspension of construction and building work was ‘suspended’ during the Beijing Olympics, the same time frame in which Xu Bing was creating this work. Hence, he chose to represent this factor through the ‘suspension’ of the birds in the sculpture.
Jane Shilling (an interviewer of Xu Bing) stated in an article that “The complex and sometimes absurd relationship between language and meaning has been a central preoccupation of his art, which is full of teasing paradox—playful but austere, subversive but rooted in the classical traditions of China and the West.” For Instance, this play with language, meaning and strong underlying connotations is apparent in his installation “A Book From the Sky” (1987-91), filled entirely with reams of paper containing meaningless glyphs designed to resemble traditional Chinese characters.
The sculptures construction took place over a period of two years and features the figures of two adult phoenixes (the male, Feng, spanning 90 ft in length and the female, Huang, over 100 ft) that vastly overshadow their audiences. In many ways, what makes this work so intriguing is its material practice and the underlying significance placed behind it. The birds were fabricated entirely from recycled or repurposed materials Xu Bing gathered from construction sites in urban China, striking a dichotomy between the elegance and grandeur of the Phoenix, in all its dominating glory, and the construction detritus used to sculpt and morph the birds into reality.
Looking up to the “super-grid” of cables and metal trusses provides an initial audience reaction of astonishment and curiosity. As audiences are able to travel in and around the work (12 tonnes of materials hanging precariously in the air on metal cords) and study it from many different angles to take in all the minute and yet carefully organised components, the works brings a sense of wonderment and awe to its viewers in all of the venues in which it is installed. This glittering and colourful installation is said to “combine a sense of timeless fantasy with present-day materials…a unique cultural component” within the landscape it is featured.
Feng and Huang exert fierce and raw influence, but more importantly, pride. Tiny white LED lights lace the forms of the two Phoenixes, and as the natural light begins to dim at dusk, the birds begin to be visibly illuminated from within, almost like ‘pinpoints’ of a constellation. In industrialised areas at night, you can’t really see the stars due to pollution. But within the sculpture, despite the modern non-art materials used that represent the decay of urban construction and rapid development of China, these materials still hold a hint of grace and elegance. As Xu Bing stated in an interview, “the LED lights make [the phoenixes] look as celestial as they look trashy”. In this way, “Phoenix” effectively addresses significant contemporary issues of China as the light source is representative of a shining beacon of hope amongst the smog and urbanization of modern China that often prevents its inhabitants from “truly seeing the night sky” and the natural world.
Xu Bing’s practice is influenced by significant historical and cultural events such as the Cultural Revolution, Chan Buddhism and the traditional relationship between meaning and writing, and reading. He is associated with the New Wave of Fine Arts movement, that denounces political oppression and domination through art making. Xu Bing has witnessed particularly dramatic shifts in China’s landscape during the Cultural Revolution, which prompted his emigration in 1990 to the US.
These influences are blatantly apparent in Bing’s subject choice – the Phoenix.
In Chinese culture, the phoenix symbolises hopes and desires of a better future, even when they are not necessarily realizable. This subject choice potentially represents Bing’s hopes for a better future balance between China’s natural landscape/ traditional values and its urban dystopia. The male and female pair of Phoenixes is symbolic of unity and good fortune and act as a commanding ‘appeal for hope and unity’ in a largely uncontrollable world
Through the perspective of Western culture, the Phoenix represents notions of rebirth and new life “out of the ashes”. This could be symbolic of a reversal in the ways of modern civilisation – there is still hope for change and reversal to benefit both the planet and conserve fading traditional values. In this sense, Xu Bing prompts his audiences to merge and contrast the Western and Chinese connotations to uncover their personal interpretation of the work.
While the sculpture seems initially ferocious as it effortlessly dwarfs its audiences, the mythical phoenixes are concurrently beautiful. These creatures represent the complex ties between history, urbanization and the rapid creation of wealth in modern China. Traditionally, every dynasty had its own form of phoenixes to symbolize luck, unity, power and prosperity. These powerful works now act as contrast between the repurposed materials linked to the suffering of migrant laborers and the protective, almost transcendent nature of the Phoenix itself. China is no longer as pristine and balanced as it once was; it is rapidly becoming a crater of commercialism and materialistic attitudes. In the words of Xu Bing himself, “They bear countless scars and have lived through great hardship, but still have self-respect…they express unrealized hopes & dreams.”
In conclusion, Xu Bing clearly explores aspects of his traditional Chinese culture and its rich history, while juxtaposing it with modern issues of urbanisation, consumerism and the country’s progressing affluence through his work “Phoenix”. This work symbolises imperial power and prosperity, the thrust Urban China has generated towards progression, prosperity an majesty which has become clearly evident in their architectural accomplishments, but also in their treatment of labourers and lower class workers in modern times. “Phoenix” is not only a reflection of Xu Bing’s traditional experiences and context, but also conveys crucial messages about the landscape of urban China and the toll it has begun to take upon its citizens; wealth, social constructions and a hugely progressing global image.
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The concept behind Bing’s material practice emerged when he was first commissioned to create a sculpture for the World Financial Center in Beijing, 2008.
Migrant laborers who built this, and similar luxury skyscrapers under such miserable conditions struck the heartstrings of Mr. Xu, hence his decision to make the phoenixes ascend from the remains of workers’ tools and debris. Initial plans for “Phoenix” to be made purely from industrial detritus was rejected by developers as they were apprehensive about what kind of political statement it would make in a already financially struggling country.
Instead, the materials were fabricated outside of Beijing in a factory over two years with references made to Bing’s personal drawings and computer-generated models.
The suspension of construction and building work was ‘suspended’ during the Beijing Olympics, the same time frame in which Xu Bing was creating this work. Hence, he chose to represent this factor through the ‘suspension’ of the birds in the sculpture.
Jane Shilling (an interviewer of Xu Bing) stated in an article that “The complex and sometimes absurd relationship between language and meaning has been a central preoccupation of his art, which is full of teasing paradox—playful but austere, subversive but rooted in the classical traditions of China and the West.” For Instance, this play with language, meaning and strong underlying connotations is apparent in his installation “A Book From the Sky” (1987-91), filled entirely with reams of paper containing meaningless glyphs designed to resemble traditional Chinese characters.
The sculptures construction took place over a period of two years and features the figures of two adult phoenixes (the male, Feng, spanning 90 ft in length and the female, Huang, over 100 ft) that vastly overshadow their audiences. In many ways, what makes this work so intriguing is its material practice and the underlying significance placed behind it. The birds were fabricated entirely from recycled or repurposed materials Xu Bing gathered from construction sites in urban China, striking a dichotomy between the elegance and grandeur of the Phoenix, in all its dominating glory, and the construction detritus used to sculpt and morph the birds into reality.
Looking up to the “super-grid” of cables and metal trusses provides an initial audience reaction of astonishment and curiosity. As audiences are able to travel in and around the work (12 tonnes of materials hanging precariously in the air on metal cords) and study it from many different angles to take in all the minute and yet carefully organised components, the works brings a sense of wonderment and awe to its viewers in all of the venues in which it is installed. This glittering and colourful installation is said to “combine a sense of timeless fantasy with present-day materials…a unique cultural component” within the landscape it is featured.
Feng and Huang exert fierce and raw influence, but more importantly, pride. Tiny white LED lights lace the forms of the two Phoenixes, and as the natural light begins to dim at dusk, the birds begin to be visibly illuminated from within, almost like ‘pinpoints’ of a constellation. In industrialised areas at night, you can’t really see the stars due to pollution. But within the sculpture, despite the modern non-art materials used that represent the decay of urban construction and rapid development of China, these materials still hold a hint of grace and elegance. As Xu Bing stated in an interview, “the LED lights make [the phoenixes] look as celestial as they look trashy”. In this way, “Phoenix” effectively addresses significant contemporary issues of China as the light source is representative of a shining beacon of hope amongst the smog and urbanization of modern China that often prevents its inhabitants from “truly seeing the night sky” and the natural world.
Xu Bing’s practice is influenced by significant historical and cultural events such as the Cultural Revolution, Chan Buddhism and the traditional relationship between meaning and writing, and reading. He is associated with the New Wave of Fine Arts movement, that denounces political oppression and domination through art making. Xu Bing has witnessed particularly dramatic shifts in China’s landscape during the Cultural Revolution, which prompted his emigration in 1990 to the US.
These influences are blatantly apparent in Bing’s subject choice – the Phoenix.
In Chinese culture, the phoenix symbolises hopes and desires of a better future, even when they are not necessarily realizable. This subject choice potentially represents Bing’s hopes for a better future balance between China’s natural landscape/ traditional values and its urban dystopia. The male and female pair of Phoenixes is symbolic of unity and good fortune and act as a commanding ‘appeal for hope and unity’ in a largely uncontrollable world
Through the perspective of Western culture, the Phoenix represents notions of rebirth and new life “out of the ashes”. This could be symbolic of a reversal in the ways of modern civilisation – there is still hope for change and reversal to benefit both the planet and conserve fading traditional values. In this sense, Xu Bing prompts his audiences to merge and contrast the Western and Chinese connotations to uncover their personal interpretation of the work.
While the sculpture seems initially ferocious as it effortlessly dwarfs its audiences, the mythical phoenixes are concurrently beautiful. These creatures represent the complex ties between history, urbanization and the rapid creation of wealth in modern China. Traditionally, every dynasty had its own form of phoenixes to symbolize luck, unity, power and prosperity. These powerful works now act as contrast between the repurposed materials linked to the suffering of migrant laborers and the protective, almost transcendent nature of the Phoenix itself. China is no longer as pristine and balanced as it once was; it is rapidly becoming a crater of commercialism and materialistic attitudes. In the words of Xu Bing himself, “They bear countless scars and have lived through great hardship, but still have self-respect…they express unrealized hopes & dreams.”
In conclusion, Xu Bing clearly explores aspects of his traditional Chinese culture and its rich history, while juxtaposing it with modern issues of urbanisation, consumerism and the country’s progressing affluence through his work “Phoenix”. This work symbolises imperial power and prosperity, the thrust Urban China has generated towards progression, prosperity an majesty which has become clearly evident in their architectural accomplishments, but also in their treatment of labourers and lower class workers in modern times. “Phoenix” is not only a reflection of Xu Bing’s traditional experiences and context, but also conveys crucial messages about the landscape of urban China and the toll it has begun to take upon its citizens; wealth, social constructions and a hugely progressing global image.
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