“Phoenix” by Xu Bing @ The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The history of this piece is a bit convoluted, but I think it’s worth mentioning because it definitely adds even more depth and meaning to the work. In 2008, Xu Bing was commissioned by a gallery to do a large-scale artwork for the World Financial Center in Beijing designed by architect Cesar Pelli. When he visited the site, which was under construction at the time, he was struck by how harsh the conditions were for the migrant workers who were building these luxurious highrises.
Shocked but inspired, he decided that his work would utilize salvage and architectural debris from the construction somehow. He thought the waste material would be in stark contrast with the luxury buildings but would also create a conversation on the relationship between capital and labor and the cost of urbanization.
When he looked at the space where this work was going to be displayed, he felt that the glass atrium looked a bit like a huge glass cage. He proposed, therefore, to create two birds in flight and hang them in the building.
The birds, he subsequently decided, would be a pair of phoenixes. In Chinese, the phoenix is called fenghuang, made up of feng (the male) and huang (the female), representative of the ying-yang balance that Chinese people (especially Chinese Taoists) love. Just like in Western mythology, the phoenix is a mythical, iconic creature that symbolizes rebirth, regeneration, and power.
The construction itself took 2 years. In between, the financial crisis hit and the developers for the project began to fear the message behind the work. They ultimately stopped supporting it, and the funds dried up. A Taiwanese art collector stepped in, however, and finally helped complete the work.
It has since been shown in Beijing, Shanghai, and MASS MoCA. I thought the piece looked so incredible, hung from the celestial ceilings of the Cathedral here in NYC, with light filtering through the stained glass windows. It was a magnificent sight to behold but made even more meaningful knowing that Xu Bing wanted it to be a commentary on what the costs are in our never-ending pursuit of luxury and wealth. But also, there’s a hint of positivity as these monumental creatures are symbols of hope and regeneration. So maybe the future isn’t so stark after all despite our avarice and penchant for self-destruction?