How do you describe your own art practice?
My practice is rooted in my own experience in both Eastern and Western cultures. I like experimenting with different media, including and not limited to painting, sculpture, installation, and video. Usually from a rather intimate perspective and through a personal approach, I try to reveal the fatalistic micro conflicts on specific individuals in a time of macro geopolitical and historical turbulence.
Cola Project (Extraction), 2009-2012
Facing the Collector, The Sigg Collection of Contemporary Art from China, Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art, Turin, Italy, 2020
Which question or theme is central in your work?
I would say that the concept of “body” is central and essential in my practice. Body is simultaneously the “shell” and the boundary of our memory, which in many cases is collectively repressed or reconstructed during the evolution of civilizations. In this sense, the body becomes the coffer where each individual hides his or her history. The mystery and the complexity of this issue fascinate me.
Mia & Elephant, 2021-2022
Mario Merz Prize, Fourth Edition_The finalists’ exhibition, Fondazione Merz, Turin, Italy, 2022
What was your first experience with art?
I can barely remember, probably when I painted on the wall of my grandmother’s house when I was seven years old. According to my mother, I apparently painted with a great passion and really enjoyed it.
Practical Opacity, 2020
Soft Dilemma, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York, USA, 2021
What is your greatest source of inspiration?
I find inspiration everywhere in my daily life, whether it’s from watching a movie, observing a painting, or learning languages, and I am particularly interested in Chinese calligraphy. Although I have a smartphone, when I need to write something in Chinese, I still insist on using handwriting input, similar to the micro-practice of drawing, instead of typing in pinyin (Romanized Chinese characters based on linguistic pronunciation). This is my way of communicating with part of the outside world, and I find that the pictographic writing of Chinese characters (Hanzi) and the profound imagery integrated with them nourish my creative life. Living and working far from my hometown, I need this form of writing to return to my own culture and reality.
Practical Opacity (detail), 2020
Soft Dilemma, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York, USA, 2021
What do you need in order to create your work?
Deep relax and meditation.
Lola & Mia, 2021-2022
Mario Merz Prize, Fourth Edition_The finalists’ exhibition, Fondazione Merz, Turin, Italy, 2022
What work or artist has most recently surprised you?
The exhibition of Donatello’s sculptures at Gemäldegalerie Berlin in September 2022.
Wisdom Tower
2013
Wisdom teeth (of He Xiangyu), pure gold (99.99%), bronze, bamboo stick
1.9 x 1.9 x 1.9 cm
