ROME.- From May 23 to June 29, the American Academy in Rome will present A Moment in Time: Xu Bing in Rome, an exhibition of new work by the Chinese artist Xu Bing, a current Resident at the American Academy in Rome and widely considered one of the most prominent conceptual artists of his generation. In A Moment in Time, Xu presents a new body of work realized during his residency that deals with the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient road. Xu’s residency comes after a career spanning almost five decades including installations, films, drawings, prints, and books.

The Wall and the Road (1988–2024) is commissioned by the AAR and is a dialogue between his artistic creation 36 years ago and the Appian Way, a Roman cultural relic dated to 312 BCE. It includes a 20- meter-long drawing of a section of the Appian Way, created over the course of a week with the assistance of students from the Accademia delle Belle Arti and the Istituto Europeo del Design, and parts of the iconic work Ghost Pounding the Wall. Xu realizes this new installation by bringing an iconic work into a new conceptual one.

With this work, Xu returns to the ancient technique of rubbing, which consists of applying a natural adhesive with a thin layer of plastic, then with a large covering of Xuan paper, and lastly “poaching” it with ink-soaked cotton wads. The rubbing is then peeled away from the surface. This new work was created on site in partnership with Parco Archeologico dell’Appia Antica. Xu previously used this technique in Ghost Pounding the Wall (1988-91), a series of large-scale rubbings of parts of the Great Wall of China.

The exhibition deals with monuments, history, and the dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. It is also a reflection on making, craftmanship, and collective labour.

The show is curated by Ilaria Puri Purini, Andrew Heiskell Arts Director, with Lexi Eberspacher, Programs Associate. Xu Bing’s residency is funded by Tsao Family Foundation.

Xu Bing (b. 1955, Chongqing) is a renowned contemporary artist from China whose innovative and thought-provoking works have garnered international acclaim. With a profound exploration of language, culture, and the power of communication, Xu has made significant contributions to the art world through his unique artistic vision and unconventional techniques. Xu moved to New York in 1990 and stayed until 2007. He moved back to Beijing to take up a professorship and is currently the vice president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Born and raised in China, Xu received a traditional education in Chinese calligraphy and painting. He soon developed a fascination with the possibilities of merging traditional Chinese art forms with contemporary artistic practices. This led him to experiment with new mediums and approaches, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression. His work has been shown, amongst other places, at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; British Museum, London; Victoria and Albert Museum, London; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington, DC; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; National Gallery of Prague; and Museum Ludwig, Cologne. Additionally, Xu Bing has participated in the 45th, 51st, and 56th Venice Biennales, the Biennale of Sydney, and the Johannesburg Biennale, among other international exhibitions.

In 1999, Xu Bing was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, the highest creative talent award in the United States in recognition of his “capacity to contribute importantly to society, particularly in printmaking and calligraphy.” In 2003, he was conferred the 14th Fukuoka Asian Culture Award for his “contribution to the development of Asian culture.” In 2004, he won the first Artes Mundi Prize in Wales: “Xu Bing is an artist who can transcend cultural boundaries, convert Eastern and Western cultures, and express his thoughts and practical issues in visual language.” In 2006, the Southern Graphics Council conferred on Xu Bing its lifetime achievement award in recognition of the fact that his “use of text, language, and books has impacted the dialogue of the print and art worlds in significant ways.” In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in humanities from Columbia University. In 2018, he was awarded the “Xu Beihong-Art Creation Award” by the Education Development Foundation of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Xu Bing is currently the Tsao Family Foundation Resident in Art at the American Academy in Rome.