Abstract:
Spanning four evenings, the public program showcased the arts, including a public reading by the preeminent voice of his generation, Bei Dao, and a screening of an experimental film by the artist Xu Bing. They were joined by the poet Zhai Yongming and novelist Han Shaogong, along with counterparts from India: the writers Sharmistha Mohanty and Allan Sealy, as well as the visual artist, Kabir Mohanty.
The Summer Institute’s evening programming was open to the public and took place at UW–Madison’s Memorial Union, Chazen Museum, and the Elvehjem Building. The visit to Madison was Xu Bing’s first return since 1991, the year the Chazen organized the inaugural exhibition of his work outside of China. To commemorate the occasion, the museum put its collection of Xu’s work on temporary display. During the daytime, the Summer Institute also ran a closed-door workshop wherein writers and artists gathered with scholars from an array of North American universities to critically consider the connection between contemporary Chinese literature and the so-called “Global South.” For further program information, please visit the Summer Institute webpage for more details.
Biography:
All workshop participants can be found here.