FU XIAOTONG

Based in Berlin, Fu Xiaotong is known for her intricate paper pinhole creations of ‘traditional’ landscape compositions. In 2000, she graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, and in 2013, obtained a Master’s degree in Experimental Art from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing.

The title NUN has been used by Fu Xiaotong since 2020, with this exhibition marking the seventh iteration of the ongoing series. NUN (or Nu) refers to a chaotic life-force in ancient Egyptian mythology, known as the ‘Great Earth Mother’. Often considered the oldest god, NUN is the personification of the boundless primeval waters of chaos, representing the primordial abyss from which all life and existence emerged. In both her paper works and sculptures, Fu consistently engages with the void—the spaces created by the armature of her sculpture, the holes created with each pinprick. She sees these empty areas as conduits to her subconscious, likening her practice to a form of meditation.

We will be showing a selection of recent works by the artist in which she interprets the natural world from two contrasting perspectives: from afar, in her serene, distant mountain and water-scapes, and on a microcosmic level, in her investigation of plant cells and organic tissue. In some pieces, forms appear densely aggregated, resembling cellular structures; in others, the dispersion and branching of pinholes evoke patterns of growth, division, or migration found in living systems.

137,320 Pinpricks and 145,978 Pinpricks adopt silhouettes reminiscent of church doors or arched entrances. According to the artist, these architectural forms do not function as stable religious symbols; instead, they suggest transitional spaces—thresholds between interior and exterior, matter and spirit. Here, form becomes a vessel for transformation rather than a carrier of fixed meaning.

Within Fu Xiaotong’s practice, pinpricking signifies both destruction and generation. As the paper is repeatedly perforated, it loses its original integrity while simultaneously acquiring new thickness, density, and rhythm. Light passing through the pinholes allows the works to shift according to viewing distance, angle, and time, evoking a slow, continuously evolving system.

‘As tens of thousands of pinpricks accumulate, the paper gradually departs from its original calm and fragile condition, generating new forms through the interaction of void, pressure, and fiber tension. My works do not depict fixed or recognizable images; rather, they unfold as processes in constant formation.’

Fu Xiaotong, 2026