Xu Bing: the Living Word 3 September 16, 2011

Chinese artist Xu Bing's work, 'The Living Word 3,' was unveiled to the public at The Morgan Library & Museum on Tuesday, July 19, culminating a week-long installation directed by the artist of more than four hundred calligraphic characters. 'The Living Word 3' soars from the floor of the Morgan's glass-enclosed Gilbert Court towards a position near its third floor balcony--as the characters rise in the air they gradually change from contemporary Chinese letters to ancient pictographic expressions of birds. It is the artist's third and largest version of "The Living Word" series and the first to be displayed in a New York City museum. The installation at the Morgan also includes a selection of the artist's original sketches for the project.