Drawing inspiration from the contemporary realities of his fast-changing country, Chinese artist Xu Bing spent two years creating his newest work, 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. At once fierce and strangely beautiful, the mythic Phoenixes bear witness to the complex interconnection between labor, history, commercial development, and the rapid accumulation of wealth in today's China. The film Xu Bing: Phoenix documents the process of creating the work through to its installation at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASSMoCA).
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Cast
2 people
Daniel Traub Director
United States release January 1, 2013 · Produced in China, United States · Languages Chinese, English
Production
China · United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
Chinese · English
Release dates
United States · January 1, 2013
Premiere
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