by Louise Chen

Originally published on Blouin Artinfo: June 16, 2010

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/34916/xu-bings-phoenixes-arrive-in-shanghai

Two phoenixes are currently sitting in the Shanghai Exposition Park, catching the eyes of some of the millions of visitors visiting the Expo from around the world every day. The birds comprise Phoenix Project, a work designed by thecelebrated Chinese-American artist Xu Bing. Each one measures 15 meters in height, 28 meters in length, 8 meters in width, weighs in at 12 tons, and is made from humble materials found at a construction site.

The phoenix has important connotations in both Eastern and Western cultures. As the second- most-respected legendary creature in China (right behind the dragon), the mythic bird is often seen in Chinese empresses’ residences, embodying an ideal image of femininity and eternity. Featuring LED lights, Xu’s two phoenixes illuminate the night sky of the Expo Park, adding atouch of festivity and divinityto the famed Shanghai night scene.

The two phoenixes have so far taken an interesting journey across China. Originally a commission from Ravenel Art Group (an auction house with a branch in Beijing and headquarters in Taiwan), the two birds briefly graced the famed Central Business District in Beijing — playing a similar role to the bull that sits on New York's Wall Street — earlier this year before migrating to Shanghai.

Xu has accepted quite a few prominent public art commissions,including notable ones at the American Embassy in Beijing, at the new Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., designed by I. M. Pei, and at the Arthur Sackler Gallery, also in D.C.

Having established himself in the New York art world, his home for 20 years, Xu returned to China in 2008 to direct the prestigious Central Academy of Art in Beijing. Upon his arrival in Beijing, Xu was immediately struck by the rapid urban development in every quarter of China and adopted the idea of giving the phoenixes a rough, realistic character, using abandoned material from a construction site in the financial district, which was also meant to be the future home of the phoenixes. Not pleased with the modest choice of material, the Chinese investor who originally commissioned the piece abandoned the unfinished project, leaving the two birds homeless until they were purchased by Taiwanese IT magnate Barry Lam.

Despite their early abandonment, the two phoenixes managed to rise from the ashes. Now, displayed in Shanghai’s urban splendor, the two phoenixes, at once beautiful and fierce, allude to the struggle and transformation of this ascendant country.