On Monday November 14th, famous Chinese contemporary artist Xu Bing will be coming to speak at Connecticut College! Whether or not you are familiar with the art world or specifically the Chinese art world, this is extremely exciting! To make you familiar with his work and his background here are 6 facts about Xu Bing:
1. Xu majored in printmaking at art school.
Detail from Holding the Brush, Xu Bing, 1996, Woodblock print, Handscroll, The Carolyn Hsu & René Balcer Collection.
Printmaking = the coolest thing ever!
2. “The Chinese conceptual artist Xu Bing often gets his inspiration from language and the printed word.” - New York Times
Chinese speakers and learners of Chinese, spot something similar? Click the above caption to learn more.
3. Recipient of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship which is given to individuals with “extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction."
Xu Bing pictured with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
He's kinda of a big deal....
4. Created his own version of Chinese characters that are actually English words in disguise.
Source
Mind Blown... Can you make out what it says?
5. Created ink rubbings from the actual Great Wall of China.
if that's not impressive…. I don’t know what is....
6. Has invented his own version of Chinese characters but this time they are indecipherable for both English and Chinese speaking audiences.
Come see this art maestro in person on November 14th, from 4-6pm in the Chu Room in Shain Library!
