On May 1, 2010, the Shanghai World Expo kicked off in style, and has already become a popular tourist draw, showcasing culture and arts from around the globe under the theme “Better City, Better Life.” Xu Bing’s Phoenixes, the biggest installation artwork displayed at the Expo Site, has been one of the most popular attractions. It certainly has impressive dimensions, measuring 45 meters long, 12 meters wide, 10 meters tall, and weighing some 12 tons. How was it selected for the World Expo? Before the masterpiece was transported to Shanghai, China Pictorial conducted an exclusive interview with Xu Bing to find out the answer.

“The most famous legend concerning the phoenix is that when it reached the age of 500, it would fly into the fire and be reborn from the ashes,” Xu explains. “This inspired me to create the work. The art also has a deeper meaning as a commentary on China’s social situation.” Xu spent two years carefully completing the installation before it was displayed in Beijing.

 His installation quickly won acclaim from critics. From afar, two phoenixes appeared to fly free in the sky, a fanciful illusion made possible with the support of six heavy cranes. The phoenixes were sculpted with recycled construction materials, construction tools, and everyday items commonly used by construction workers: beaks from drills, crests from safety helmets, necks from delicate glass tubes surrounded by hardware, feathers from rolled iron barrels, claws from grubbing machines, bodies from shovels, and tail plumes from safety netting. One of the two phoenixes holds its neck proudly upwards, while the other seems to act as a companion.

Xu, a noted Chinese contemporary artist, has won global fame for such works as Book from the Sky (1988), Ghosts Pounding the Wall (1990) and Cultural Animal (1993). Two years ago, Xu returned from abroad to become the vice president of China’s Central Academy of Fine Arts, and received a commission to create an installation piece for Fortune Plaza, a luxury office complex in Beijing’s Central Business District. In return, the client would provide patronage to his academy.