The Magic
of Time

Elephants Walking on One-Way Road

A fairy tale by Sun Wei · Translated from Chinese by Anna Stecher

Sun Wei is a Chinese writer and the author of 32 books. Her novels have attracted a wide readership. Several of her works have already been adapted for film and television or are currently being developed for the screen.

The story begins with a wish made by a child named Mufeng: that the hot summer might never end—as if her elderly grandmother would not die so long as the summer continued. From this wish unfolds a literary exploration of time, memory and transience. An artist talk follows the reading.

In cooperation with Buchhandlung St. Johann.

Sun Wei’s literary exploration of time, memory, change and transience initiated this project; its title, The Magic of Time, also comes from her.

Within the framework opened by her literary theme, nine additional Asian artists were invited: four from China, three from Japan, one from South Korea and one from Indonesia. Their visual works enter into dialogue with the literary themes.