XIAO GUO HUI
Feast
Opening Reception Saturday, March 28th, 2 – 6pm
Exhibition runs: April 29th, 2015
Christopher Cutts Gallery, 21 Morrow Avenue, Toronto, ON, 416 532 5566
The Christopher Cutts Gallery is pleased to announce its third solo exhibition of work by Xiao Guo Hui, titled Feast.
Xiao is an exceptional talent from Guang Zhou, China who immigrated to Canada with his wife Qing in 2001. His prodigious talent is continuously honed by his discipline and methodical approach to painting.
Xiao states “I began painting with oil until I made a pilgrimage to Italy in 2004. I spent day after day visiting chapel after chapel, marveling at the great master’s paintings from Giotto to Piero Della Francesca. I was in awe of these masterpieces… This trip was a pivotal moment where past experiences came together to solidify my calling for painting… I started to use egg tempera on canvas to transform my inspiration. Egg tempera is an ancient technique, which brings more transparency to the colour. Thus, it gives the painting a unique temperament. I have become so enamored with this technique. I love the way egg tempera feels and that it requires one to finish a painting stroke by stroke. I believe that a good painting should be done with great patience and passion… I practice with egg tempera yet I never forget the influence of Oriental Art, especially the ancient Chinese art which is ingrained in my blood. The way the ancient Chinese artist manages the “blank” space to create implied meaning and sense of equilibrium in composition have deeply influenced my painting.”
This exhibition extends Xiao’s narrative journey, which draws upon his life’s impressions, experiences and memories. Xiao’s paintings explore the nature of art as a motif, which embodies the totality of one’s existence. In turn experiences are transformed within the medium (painting) into something that has deep understanding and maturity.
