XIAO GUO HUI
b. 1969, ChinaXiao Guo Hui (b. 1969, China) is a Canadian artist based in Fontainebleau, France. Through figurative painting, he explores the enduring patterns of human behavior and the tensions that emerge between belief, conviction, and conflict. Rather than depicting contemporary events, his works investigate how individuals and societies construct systems of meaning, draw boundaries between competing visions of the world, and negotiate opposing claims to truth. In doing so, they invite reflection on the contradictions and uncertainties that continue to shape contemporary life.
To give form to these concerns, Xiao works in a hybrid technique combining egg tempera and fresco. He creates his paintings on linen through a slow and highly material process, preparing his own supports, grinding pigments by hand, and constructing each surface through multiple layers.
Rejecting the pursuit of a perfectly polished finish, he embraces the traces of the hand and the inherent qualities of the medium.
His practice is informed by the technical and philosophical traditions of pre-Renaissance European painting, while remaining firmly engaged with the present.
Born in China, Xiao graduated from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 1993, where he studied oil painting. In 2001, he moved to Canada with his wife, artist Chen Wenqing, before settling in France in 2015. Xiao Guo Hui has exhibited internationally in galleries, art fairs, and institutional contexts. His works are held in private collections worldwide.
Text courtesy MASSIMODECARLO.
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