Art Tour: 'Xu Bing: Word Alchemy'

Alex Barber

Schedule

Saturday, May 11, 2024
1 p.m. Tour

Experience art on a personal level! Join a docent-led tour of Xu Bing: Word Alchemy, which charts the evolution of artist Xu Bing's linguistic experiments challenging and expanding the history of Chinese landscape painting as well as the canons of contemporary art.

About the Exhibition

Xu Bing: Word Alchemy assembles more than 50 of Xu Bing’s most important woodcut prints, videos, drawings, installations, and other ephemera representing almost 50 years of the artist’s creative output. Starting with Xu’s early engagements with social realism and Western art historical traditions alike, the exhibition charts the evolution of the artist’s linguistic experiments which challenge and expand not only the history of Chinese landscape painting, but the canons of contemporary art.

Born in China and working in Brooklyn and Beijing, Xu Bing is widely considered one of the most important artists from China in the 20th century. Focusing on the artist's longstanding engagement with words and language, Word Alchemy is the most comprehensive exhibition on this theme, with around one-third of the objects being shown in the U.S. for the first time. Featured art works include Xu Bing's early works, never-before-exhibited notebooks, landmark prints, and pieces that include Square Word Calligraphy, the writing system created by the artist to stylize written English as Chinese characters.

Tour Tips

Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour. Groups arriving more than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time should remain in our Grand Hall until tour staff and docents are ready. Latecomers may join the tour in progress.

Tours last approximately 60 minutes and involve a minimal amount of walking. Wheelchair access is available throughout the building.

Photography is permitted. Flash photography and use of tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed.

Plan Your Visit

Exhibitions and their related programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, and Leslie and Brad Bucher. Major support comes from The Brown Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, The Clayton Fund, Houston Endowment Inc. Generous funding also provided by The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, National Endowment for the Arts, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), and Texas Commission on the Arts. Free Thursday exhibition admission presented by Regions Bank. Additional support is provided by Leigh and Reginald Smith, Ann Wales, the Wortham Foundation, and through contributions from the Exhibitions Patron Circle, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional visual art to Asia Society Texas.

Presenting Sponsor

Additional Support

About APAH Month at Asia Society Texas

Beginning in 2021, Asia Society Texas has celebrated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with the Houston community and beyond through a curated calendar of events for 31 ways to celebrate over the 31 days of May. Spotlighting the traditions, talents, and contributions of Asians and Asian Americans, the calendar highlights the month's key Asia Society programming, providing a platform to showcase local artists, performers, educators, and leaders who contribute to the vibrant, multicultural tapestry of Houston while also featuring staff recommendations for our favorite music, books, movies, and more by Asian and Asian American creatives.

At Asia Society Texas, APAH Month is an opportunity to celebrate and honor Asians and Asian Americans and to uplift their stories to a broader audience as part of our goal to inspire our larger community to better understand one another through culture, conversation, and connection. For information about sponsoring APAH Month and other projects like this one, please contact Saleena Jafry at [email protected] or 713.496.9939.

Presenting Sponsor of APAH Month at Asia Society Texas

Sponsors of APAH Month
Comcast
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Media Sponsor

APAH Month 2024 Calendar

Digital Calendar Interactive/Printable PDF

Past APAH Month Calendars

2023: Highlights | Details
2022: Highlights | Details
2021: Details

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.