Xu Bing - digital landscapes at Mountains and Seas in Kuala Lumpur
Published on 08/28/2026 at 16:50 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Xu Bing is part of the immersive audiovisual exhibition Mountains and Seas in Kuala Lumpur. As a report on the China Global Television Network dated August 27, 2026 states, the show ran from August 17 to August 25, 2026 and drew around 5,000 visitors from nearly 20 countries and regions. CGTN coverage of Mountains and Seas
Xu Bing at Mountains and Seas in Kuala Lumpur
Mountains and Seas took place at a venue in Kuala Lumpur as an immersive audiovisual project focused on cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Malaysia, organized by Beijing Normal University together with Malaysian cultural authorities. The exhibition explored landscapes, ocean, cultural memory and ecology through digital art forms such as immersive video, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and interactive installations. CGTN description of the exhibition concept
According to the organizers quoted in the same report, the exhibition gathered works by prominent Chinese artists including Xu Bing and Oscar-winning production designer Timmy Yip, alongside contributions from Malaysian artists such as Lim Kok Yoong, Nadia Mahmud, Wee Jia Foong and Anwar. The show attracted more than 5,000 visitors over its roughly nine-day run, highlighting demand for technologically driven narratives of Sino-Malaysian cultural ties. Visitor figures and participating artists per CGTN
Biennial & fair angle on Xu Bing's digital work
For the Friday Biennial & Fair focus, Mountains and Seas marks one of Xu Bing's recent appearances in a curated environment that borrows from fair and biennial formats by combining multiple artists and media around a cross-border theme. The project positions his work within a technological ecosystem that includes artificial intelligence and virtual reality, rather than traditional museum galleries alone. Curatorial framing of Mountains and Seas
Against this backdrop, Xu Bing's participation reinforces his longstanding interest in how images and text mediate understanding across languages and cultures. Even though the CGTN report does not list individual work titles, the emphasis on digital art and interactive installations aligns with his broader trajectory from analog printmaking and installation toward film, surveillance footage and data-driven environments.
Further news and background on Xu Bing
Readers who follow Xu Bing's exhibitions and cross-border projects can find additional coverage of his museum shows, collection presence and media works in the AD HOC NEWS archive.
The work core and media practice
Xu Bing emerged in the 1980s as a leading figure in Chinese contemporary art with his monumental installation Book from the Sky, which presented hand-printed texts composed of invented Chinese characters that cannot be read, challenging viewers' reliance on script as carrier of meaning. His later Square Word Calligraphy series reconfigured English words into shapes resembling Chinese characters, extending this inquiry into cross-linguistic perception. MoMA profile of Xu Bing's practice
Parallel to these installations, Xu Bing has engaged film and digital imagery. MoMA describes his feature Dragonfly Eyes as assembled entirely from surveillance footage found online, thereby transforming everyday recordings into a narrative about contemporary life in China while keeping the underlying data structures visible. His large-scale sculpture project Phoenix, built from construction-site debris, likewise addresses labor, urbanization and transformation through reused material. MoMA description of Dragonfly Eyes and Phoenix
Where the artist stands now
In sum, Xu Bing's recent participation in Mountains and Seas in Kuala Lumpur sits alongside his established museum and film projects, with no additional exhibition or fair date announced within the immediate 30-day window beyond the show that closed on August 25, 2026.
Key facts on Xu Bing
- Artist: Xu Bing
- Medium / Genre: Installation, conceptual printmaking, digital and film-based art
- Born: 1955, Chongqing, China
- Place(s) of practice: Studio practice between Beijing and New York, with international institutional collaborations
- Active since: Early 1980s, with wider international recognition from the late 1980s
- Key work groups: Book from the Sky, Square Word Calligraphy, Tobacco Project, Phoenix
- Current/last exhibition: Participation in Mountains and Seas, immersive audiovisual exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, August 17–25, 2026
- Major collections: Museum of Modern Art (New York), British Museum (London), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), M+ (Hong Kong)
- Awards: Multiple international honors including a MacArthur Fellowship, as cited in public biographical information
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Xu Bing
Where has Xu Bing recently exhibited his work?
Xu Bing most recently appeared in the immersive audiovisual exhibition Mountains and Seas in Kuala Lumpur, which ran from August 17 to August 25, 2026 and focused on China-Malaysia cultural exchange through digital art formats.
Does Xu Bing work with digital and film media in addition to installations?
Yes. MoMA describes his film Dragonfly Eyes as constructed from online surveillance footage, and highlights how this project extends his investigations into image, text and data in contemporary life beyond traditional printmaking and large-scale installations.
Which major institutions hold works by Xu Bing?
Public information and collection databases list institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the British Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and M+ in Hong Kong among the museums that have acquired works by Xu Bing.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
