Xu Bing: Phoenix

for MASS MoCA

Drawing inspiration from the contemporary realities of his fast-changing country, Chinese artist Xu Bing spent two years creating Phoenix. The installation features two monumental birds fabricated entirely from materials harvested from construction sites in urban China, including demolition debris, steel beams, tools and remnants of the daily lives of migrant laborers. The premier appearance of the sculpture outside China took place at MASS MoCA—inside its football field-sized Building 5 gallery. Three essays, a poem and other text are printed in one color on cream-colored uncoated paper. White coated paper gets terrific photos by Ross Mantle of the exhibition, along with snapshots documenting the transport of the birds from halfway across the world. 9.25 x 11 inches, 136 pages. The gallery guide and exhibition graphics are here.