It Begins with Metamorphosis: Xu Bing 徐冰：變形記

Xu Bing is one of the most important Chinese artists working today. His sophisticated works reflect and challenge the political and social environments in China and elsewhere. It Begins with Metamorphosis: Xu Bing is the first solo exhibition of this artist in Hong Kong. It highlights how Xu Bing uses unexpected materials including silkworms, tobacco leaves and discarded trash to craft elegant works that touch on cycles of lives and transformations. The catalogue opens with an essay by the curator, Yeewan Koon, deepening our understanding of Xu Bing’s process of working. Other scholarly essays investigate how the politics of prints, the social world of words and the traces of writing were also vital to his works. The experiential encounters of the exhibition connect the artist, his artworks, the curatorial team and the viewers enriching our understanding of Xu Bing, but also of art and its many possibilities. 徐冰是中國最重要的當代藝術家之一。他的作品探究中國和世界各地的政治社會問題。《徐冰：變形記》是藝術家在香港舉辦的首個個展。此次展覽突出了徐冰如何運用蠶、煙草和垃圾等讓人意想不到的材料創作出高雅的藝術作品，旨在表達生命循環與變幻。本展覽目錄以策展人官綺雲的一篇短文開篇，加深我們對徐冰創作過程的印象。目錄中其餘的文章也研究了徐冰作品中，包括印刷作品、文字社會世界和書寫痕跡等元素。是次展覽嘗試將藝術家、作品、策展團隊以及觀者聯繫在一起，從而豐富我們對徐冰作品的理解，並發掘其發展的無限可能。

Yeewan Koon is Associate Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Hong Kong, and teaches Chinese and Japanese art history. She was a fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before taking up her position at the University of Hong Kong. 官綺雲是香港大學藝術學系副教授，任教中國與日本藝術史。在加入香港大學之前，她曾是大都會博物館的研究員。

HKUP Fall 2016