Of the Earth 本土

Xu Bing: The Art of Non-Being

March 14, 2022 Cortney Chaffin & Ellen Larson Season 1 Episode 6
Of the Earth 本土
Xu Bing: The Art of Non-Being
Show Notes

In this episode of Of the Earth we chat about one our all time favorites, contemporary artist Xu Bing 徐冰. We share our experiences co-curating his 2012 exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, along with the artist's many Wisconsin connections. Considering works like Book from the Sky (1987-1991) and Background Story: A New Approach to Traditional Landscape Painting (2004-ongoing), we explore the relationship of Xu's works to the Chinese concept of Wu (non-being, emptiness).

For more on Xu Bing's art works visit his website here.

Read about Huang Gongwang's famous handscroll Wandering in the Fuchun Mountains at Smarthistory.

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