Xu Bing Alphabet

In the early 1990s, Xu began to develop a system for writing English called "square word calligraphy," which organizes the letters of each English word into structures that resemble Chinese characters. One consequence of his project is that non. Based on the similarities of certain of the Chinese radicals and the Roman alphabet, Xu Bing created his own Sino-Roman alphabet.

Using those Sino-Roman symbols, he began to write English words by combining the letters of individual English words into squares, with all the letters of any English word present, but formatted into a square shape. Xu Bing has designed a calligraphic system known as Square Word Calligraphy in which English words come to resemble Chinese characters. Like a linguistic breeder, the artist combines Chinese calligraphy with English writing to create a new "species".

However, it is different from the nonsensical characters in Book from the Sky which breed feelings of suspicion and confusion in the viewer. Xu Bing's Tianshu ("Book from the Sky") is a large installation featuring precisely laid out rows of books and hanging scrolls with written "Chinese" texts. Even so, this work challenges our very approach to language because of the unique nature of the text written on the paper.

Xu Bing is best known for a set of hybrid characters that's been christened 'Square Word Calligraphy'. It is best described as characters that, on the surface, resemble classical Chinese calligraphy that's often used in seals. However, closer inspection reveals that these characters are actually English words and letters.

Xu developed this unique and exceptional script to express the. In Square Word Calligraphy, Xu Bing has devised a method of writing English words in rectangular arrangements which resemble Chinese characters. A code of calligraphic script elements maps to the 26 Roman letters and a relatively simple set of rules for the composition of square words allow one to.

Xu Bing developed his unique square word calligraphy, that fuses written English words with the square format of Chinese characters. Although the arrangement of the letters within the English words are altered to form the square shapes they remain legible. In Square Word Calligraphy (2004), he blends the English alphabet with principles of writing Chinese calligraphy to create a visual hybrid.

In The Character of Characters, Xu Bing draws parallels between the repetitive, rigorous practice of calligraphy and aspects of Chinese culture, both contemporary and historical. Discover the thought-provoking artistry of Xu Bing, a pioneering Chinese contemporary artist who challenges language systems and cultural perceptions through powerful mixed-media installations. Through reinventing Chinese characters and the English alphabet, Xu invites viewers to question their understanding and cultural biases.

Xu's collaboration with our team in China brings to life Living. Xu Bing's favorite way to present the New English Calligraphy to an audience is in a gallery or museum classroom where visitors sit down with brush and ink and begin writing the English characters for themselves. Soon they are creating a script that only moments ago looked totally foreign and forbidding.