Artist Xu Bing's 'Phoenix' takes flight at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York
Chinese artist Xu Bing’s majestic ‘Phoenix’ installation has spread its wings inside the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York. The work will be suspended from the building's nave for the next year, having migrated from the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA).
Crafted from workers’ tools and debris salvaged from demolition sites across Beijing, the monumental duet of birds draws on both fenghuang (Chinese phoenix mythology) and the city’s ever-evolving landscape as it continues to reach skywards with a slew of new architectural projects.
Feng, identified as the male of the pair, and the female, Huang, together weigh over 12 tonnes, measuring 90 and 100 feet respectively. As the pair twist and turn through the nave, a closer look reveals the medley of screwdrivers, tubing, shovels and drills that comprise the sculptures. The work is a commentary on the radical economic changes fuelling China. ‘The phoenix of today’s China bears countless scars,’ says Xu Bing. ‘It has lived through great hardship. But it has adorned itself with great respect.’
The creation of ‘Phoenix’ was an arduous process that began several years ago in 2008, when Xu Bing was struck by the low-tech techniques used in construction sites and the high-tech structures that would soon fill them. Inspired by this contrast, the artist teamed up with a crew of migrant factory labourers on the outskirts of Beijing to realise his artwork. ‘The method is unsophisticated, like Chinese lanterns,’ explains the artist. ‘At the same time, it is also in keeping with the Western concept of ready-made assemblage.’
The installation of the sculptures at the hallowed cathedral became in itself part of the art work, as New York residents were treated to glimpses of the process over the course of two months prior to its unveiling. Arriving in sections on flatbed trucks, the works were carried into the cathedral, where over 30 hoists and 140 ft of truss were used to help them take flight.
Crafted from workers’ tools and debris salvaged from demolition sites across Beijing, the monumental duet of birds draws on fenghuang (Chinese phoenix mythology). Photography: Joe Griffin
The artist teamed up with a crew of migrant factory labourers on the outskirts of Beijing to realise his artwork. ‘The method is unsophisticated, like Chinese lanterns,’ explains the artist. Photography: Joe Griffin
Feng, identified as the male of the pair, and the female, Huang, together weigh over 12 tonnes, measuring 90 and 100 feet respectively. Photography: Joe Griffin
‘The phoenix of today’s China bears countless scars,’ says Xu Bing, who was intent on addressing the radical economic changes of his native country with this work. ‘It has lived through great hardship. But it has adorned itself with great respect’. Photography: Joe Griffin
The installation of the sculptures at the hallowed cathedral became in itself part of the art work, as New York residents were treated to glimpses of the process over the course of two months prior to its unveiling © Rhonda R Dorsett, The Phoenix Group
A detail of the 'Phoenix' installation. Photography: Joe Griffin
The sculptures comprise a medley of screwdrivers, tubing, shovels, scrap metal and drills © Rhonda R Dorsett, The Phoenix Group
ADDRESS
Cathedral of St John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Ave
New York NY 10025
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
Alexander May, founder of LA studio Sized, on the joys of creative polymathy
Creative director Alexander May tells us of the multidisciplinary approach that drives his LA studio Sized and its offspring, a 5,000 sq ft event space and an exhibition series
By Hannah Silver Published
-
50 of America’s top creatives, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh
Photographed exclusively for Wallpaper* by Inez & Vinoodh, we present a portfolio of 50 creatives driving the current discourse on American culture and its dynamic evolution
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Nona Faustine confronts the past in New York
Artist Nona Faustine reframes New York's colonial past in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum
By Hannah Silver Published
-
How the west won: Ivan McClellan is amplifying the intrepid beauty of Black cowboy culture
In his new book, 'Eight Seconds: Black Cowboy Culture', Ivan McClellan draws us into the world of Black rodeo. Wallpaper* meets the photographer ahead of his Juneteenth Rodeo
By Tracy Kawalik Published
-
Casa Bosques’ queer-themed book curation comes to New York’s East Village
In Pride Month 2024, Casa Bosques’ pop-up bookstore in The Standard hotel, East Village, offers a stylish haven for literary mavens
By Hannah Silver Published
-
‘Very few museums were interested in my work until recently’: Amalia Mesa-Bains on her first-ever retrospective
‘Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory’ is a long-overdue exhibition at El Museo del Barrio in New York celebrating five decades of the trailblazing Chicanx artist
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Frieze New York 2024: what to see in and around the city
Frieze New York 2024 (until Sunday 5 May) sees the city’s ample spring season programming celebrated at The Shed
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Calling NYC grads! Sarabande Foundation invites you to an industry masterclass to pave way into the creative world
‘What Now?’ by Sarabande Foundation is a post-college guide to support graduates in making their next steps, with advice from the likes of Burberry, Thom Browne, and more
By Tianna Williams Published