Disrupted narratives: Modification of the Chinese language in Xu Bing’s “Book from the Sky”

Through his unique approach to language and communication, a contemporary artist Xu Bing challenges language as one of the enduring elements within the Chinese semiotic field and prompts viewers to reassess their notions of cultural identity. The aim of the article is to uncover new interpretations of Xu Bing’s creative work by examining it through the lens of key ideas from post-structuralist theorists and semiotic researchers, specifically Jacques Derrida, Julia Kristeva, and Roland Barthes. The text explores Xu Bing’s groundbreaking work “Book from the Sky” as one of his earliest experiments with language, serving as a platform for discussing the role of language in meaning-making. The analysis draws on the philosophical concepts of language by Jacques Derrida, Roland Barthes, and Julia Kristeva, revealing the complex layers of semiotics and linguistic significance in Xu Bing’s installation. The scientific novelty of the article lies in its attempt to analyze the artist’s work by engaging with the ideas of post-structuralist theorists and semiotic researchers. By offering a new analytical approach to “Book from the Sky”, we expand the understanding of the role of language and its influence on the construction of meaning in art. This analysis also aims to enrich the dialogue about the relationship between language, culture, and identity by examining the semiotic aspects of Xu Bing’s installation. In the course of the research, significant results were achieved that allowed for a deeper understanding of Xu Bing’s “Book from the Sky”. The analysis through the lens of theories by Jacques Derrida, Julia Kristeva, and Roland Barthes identified key conceptual aspects of the work, such as Derrida’s “différance”, Kristeva’s intertextuality, and Barthes’s concept of the active reader. This revealed how the installation deconstructs conventional perceptions of language and meaning, evokes feelings of disorientation and abjection, and transforms viewers into active interpreters who reassess cultural identity. The article also contributes to a broader understanding of Xu Bing’s artistic practice and provides insight into the complexities of language as a social and cultural construct.