Magic Square: Art and Literature in Mirror Image

Curator：Boliang Shen

Assistant curator：

CURATOR: BOLIANG SHEN

EXHIBITION DESIGN: LI XINDI、YANG YANG

Artists: Apichatpong Weerasethakul，Allora & Calzadilla，Bao Huiyi，btr，Chang Yuchen，Chen Si'an，Chen Zhe，Cheng Ran，Owen Fu，Hadassa Goldvicht，Kong Lingnan，Liu Wa，Lu Xun， Nabuqi，Nathalie Djurberg & Hans Berg，Thao Nguyen Phan，Qi Baishi，Sophie Calle，Su Yu-Xin，Sophie von Hellermann，Tan Jing，Team9，Simon Fujiwara，Evelyn Taocheng Wang，Xiao Hanqiu，Su-Mei Tse，Zhang Ruyi

Magic square is a square array of numbers originated from ancient Chinese “Luoshu” (characters associated with the legendary Emperor Yu), in which the sums of numbers in each row, column, and diagonal are equal. Magic square has been regarded as a symbol of the harmonious power of the universe since ancient times, with many variants emerging in later generations that made a global impact on combinatorics, programming, artificial intelligence, and other fields.

As the theme of the literary unit of the first Beijing Biennial, magic square is not only an embodiment of the writing and text layout of Chinese characters but also the model of Beijing's urban spatial planning. The wonderful symmetry and complementary relationship between figures in different squares echo the characteristics of Beijing, a place where diverse ecology and culture have intermingled since ancient times. It is also reminiscent of “Symbiosis,” bringing great inspiration to the theme of this Biennial.

The exhibition venue is arranged to reflect a magic square while still maintaining the original lattice structure of the Friendship Art Community, galvanizing the discourse between art and literature through the mutual reflection formed by the magic square. The exhibits come from nearly 30 artists worldwide inspired by literary reading or writing and include new collaborative works completed by three groups of artists and literary authors commissioned by this exhibition. At the same time, the exhibition puts the spotlight on the dual context of significant ecological and environmental problems alongside the normalization of digital existence. It explores the symbiosis between human beings and different life forms, human settlements and virtual spaces, as well as historical heritage and future prospects through the interwoven imagination of literature and art.