Organic (un)ground in the time of biopower and hyperobjects: Conceptualizing global posthumanism in the art of Xu Bing and Gu Wenda

Abstract This article examines the uses of organic matter in the art of Xu Bing and Gu Wenda. It attempts to outline the common concerns that both link these uses to culturally specific identities (Chinese or otherwise) and go beyond them to construct an image of the nonhuman world as a phenomenon that participates in and is effected by the context of globalization. The analysis presented draws upon recent posthumanist theoretical work in animal studies and object-oriented ontology, specifically Cary Wolfe’s writings on animals and biopolitical frameworks and Timothy Morton’s theories of ecology and hyperobjects. Considering works like Xu Bing’s A Case Study of Transference and Gu Wenda’s united nations series from the viewpoint of posthumanist philosophies offers a more nuanced critical picture of how both artists have attempted to engage the boundaries of culture and human biological identity in the era of economic and environmental globality.