Eying East, Wondering West – Square Word Calligraphy Classroom on the Move

EVENT DESCRIPTION

The Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) is staging the Eying East, Wondering West – Square Word Calligraphy Classroom on the Move exhibition featuring world-renowned artist Xu Bing from September 29 to January 11, 2026. The exhibition gallery, located at Oi! Glassie, has been transformed into a classroom with a specially designed texbook. It invites audiences to learn and write the Square Word Calligraphy (Hong Kong Edition). The exhibition was earlier held at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and has now moved to Oi!.

Xu is internationally recognised as one of the most innovative and influential contemporary artists. One of his signature works, Square Word Calligraphy, is a unique writing system integrating Eastern and Western cultures. Xu was appointed in March 2024 as Hong Kong’s Ambassador for Cultural Promotion and launched his inaugural commissioning art initiative, the above exhibition, early this year.

Picking the two-storey Oi! Glassie as the exhibition venue, Xu fully utilises its transparent design to allow passers-by to glimpse the exhibition gallery, attracting them to visit the classroom to explore the Square Word Calligraphy. At the same time, audiences inside the gallery can look outward, bringing them closer to the neighbourhood, connecting art to the community.

The classroom on the 1/F Oi! Glassie features the textbook An Introduction to Square Word Calligraphy (Hong Kong Edition). With its design inspired by the exercise books commonly used by local students, the textbook’s content covers expressions, greetings, idioms and proverbs relevant to everyday life in Hong Kong, as well as local food, etc. Visitors use brushes and copybooks to learn and write the Special Edition for Hong Kong Square Word Calligraphy. There are also interactive installations which engage audiences with an interactive programme to construct Square Words from the database, creating their own calligraphy works.

Square Word seal carving and fan design workshops will be organised during the exhibition period, bringing audiences the pleasure of learning Square Word Calligraphy from multiple perspectives.

The exhibition is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by the Art Promotion Office and Oi!.