Xu Bing: Background Story

The Chinese artist Xu Bing creates an installation for the museum's Asahi Shimbun Displays (Room 3), consisting of a largescale lightbox which gives the illusion of a traditional Chinese landscape. The work is made in response to a seventeenth-century scroll by Wang Shimin and the works will be shown together. This is the seventh part of an ongoing series of 'Background Stories' by Bing, who has created interventions for museums around the world. The lightbox features materials such as hemp fibres, corn husks and debris found across London, which are placed on the back of the glass so that their shadows create the illusion of a landscape. The artist will be creating the work in situ and a film of the process will be available to view on the museum's website.