On 18 March 2026, the Faculty of Arts and the Faculty of Architecture co-organised the public lecture “How Do We Make Art Today” (“今天我們用什麽做藝術？”) by Xu Bing, a conceptual artist and Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. By chronicling his numerous art projects, Xu illustrates how his works express interplay and subversion of ideas about our contemporary society and values — and by extension, what the process and result of art itself can speak about our condition today. The relationship between art and modern society was made especially salient by Xu’s presentation of his space art project Xu Bing Space Art Residency Program (2024-), which marries conceptual art with scientific technology and the astronomical aspirations of our time. During the Q&A session, audience members engaged in fruitful conversation with Xu, prompting a rich dialogue of further reflection on Xu’s diverse projects and the meaning of art itself.
Xu Bing is a distinguished conceptual artist and a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing. He is most well-known for his innovative usage of language and text in works such as Tianshu (1987-1991) and Introduction to Square-Word Calligraphy (1994–1996). His works have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the British Museum, and more.
The Faculty of Arts gives its sincerest thanks to the Faculty of Architecture and the attendees for the success of this event, and hopes this lecture will mark the start of many more productive collaborations between both Faculties in the future.
