Catalogue of the first large-scale solo exhibition of contemporary artist Xu Bing in Asia at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum from January to April 2014.

'When he was a child, Xu Bing recalls, his mother was so busy working at the Peking University Library Department that she would often “lock” him in the book storeroom. Perhaps this is why, when he later became an artist, the subjects of his works would always be closely bound to books.

In the 1950s the Chinese communists launched a campaign to reform the writing system, and the simplification of Chinese characters became a political movement. While he was growing up, Xu heard “new words constantly announced, and old words abolished. New words would be revised again and abolished, and old words would be reinstated.” This special experience regarding the treatment of written language laid the seeds of a thought in Xu’s mind: “Words are something you can play with.”...“Xu Bing: A Retrospective” brings together major representative works spanning 40 years, from 1975 to the present. It is his first large- scale international retrospective solo exhibition. Xu firmly believes that tradition must be reinvigorated if it is to be meaningful in the current age. He hopes that the Chinese cultural world will “use the Chinese way of thought, cultural orientation and worldview while absorbing from other admirable cultures in search of a new approach to culture.” This spirit and vision is fully embodied in this exhibition.' - excerpted from the introduction by the curator, WANG Chiachi Jason

Includes a timeline of Xu Bing's artistic career, and exhibition history of solo exhibitions and selected group exhibitions.