Xu Bing

This volume offers a path-breaking reassessment of Xu Bings oeuvre by analyzing the diverse cultural environments in which his work has developed since the Book from the Sky. It contains three lecture transcripts and eight art historical essays; these explore themes such as Xus animal works, audience participation, new ink, prints, realism, socialist spectacle, and word play. A critical question addressed in this volume is what carries art to a global level beyond regional histories and cultural symbols. Absorbing critical essays on contemporary Chinese aesthetics addressing the social context and philosophical concerns that underlie Xu Bings key works. The authors analyze Xus art, shedding light on the tangled history of socialism and neoliberalism in the Post-Mao period. --Prof. Dr. Lothar Ledderose, Senior Professor, Institute of East Asian Art, Universitt Heidelberg