Exhibition Opening – The Big Dipper Formation: Fu Xiaodong’s Cosmos

The Chu-Griffis Asian Art Collection at Connecticut College presents The Big Dipper Formation: Fu Xiaodong’s Cosmos, the first solo North American exhibition by prominent contemporary Chinese artist and curator Fu Xiaodong (付晓东). Curated by Yibing Huang, the exhibition runs from October 28, 2026, through February 1, 2027, in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room at Charles E. Shain Library. Drawing on traditional Chinese cosmology and eight years of interdisciplinary research with scientific laboratories, Fu’s major ink works (2020–2026) blend art, science, philosophy, and geography into an interconnected field of discovery.

Rather than viewing isolated objects, visitors enter a spatial model of relational thinking where landscape maps the body, astronomy intersects with gender, and scientific imagery illuminates ancient cosmologies. By allowing distinct knowledge systems to encounter and challenge one another, the exhibition invites viewers to question how we diagram order onto our universe and whether the cosmos is ultimately external or inscribed upon ourselves.

Exhibition Opening
The opening program takes place Wednesday, October 28, from 4:15 to 6:00 p.m. in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room. The event features an artist talk by Fu Xiaodong, a panel discussion, an audience Q&A, a guided tour, and a light reception. The exhibition and all related events are free and open to the public.