Xiyao Wang
Before the Sun Goes Down
Bangkok Space
September 28 - November 3, 2024
Xiyao Wang, having studied art in Chongqing at a young age, was deeply captivated by European "Neo-Expressionism" and determined to pursue advanced studies in Germany, eventually settling in Berlin. Art world luminaries like Cy Twombly and Albert Oehlen had a profound influence on her. She also sought inspiration from continental philosophy, particularly Gilles Deleuze's (along with Félix Guattari's) rhizomatic theory of the world, which provided her with a theoretical framework for her artistic explorations. Her brushstrokes, as if guided by the rhythms of heavy metal and electronic experimental music, dance across increasingly large canvases, leaving behind traces that are at once weighty and ethereal, imbued with profound emotion. Viewers are easily moved and continue to ponder their meaning long after viewing.
At some point, Xiyao Wang became fascinated with the Chinese ancient zither (Guqin), which led her to explore the works of Zhuangzi. Though Zhuangzi is not a particularly lengthy text, it contains a comprehensive philosophical system. Rather than seeking a deep understanding of the enigmatic and vast meaning of this "small great book" as scholars might, Xiyao Wang finds joy in imagining herself as a Kun (a giant fish in Chinese mythology) described by Zhuangzi, transforming into a Peng (a giant bird that transforms from a Kun) as it "embraces" the universe, and then dreaming of becoming a butterfly just like Zhuang Zhou (Zhuangzi’s native name). She said, "Reading Zhuangzi leading me to realize that I don't want to be confined to a small world. In fact, it's a vast universe. There are trees that have grown for many years and tiny organisms in this world, and I'm just a small part of it. I like to broaden my perspective, to see beyond, to see the long flow of time, not just the present moment. Which is something I deeply appreciate. I can freely travel through time and space whenever I want. I enjoy this state because it's the same feeling I have when I'm painting."
Thus, she presented us with these paintings, which remind us of towering mountains and flowing rivers, elevating us beyond the mundane and filling our hearts with calmness, evoking a sense of peace and joy that allows us to lose ourselves in our encounter with their presence.
Hou Hanru, September 22, 2024, in Paris
EXHIBITING WORKS
 Before the Sun Goes Down No.2 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 250 x 450 cm (250 x 150 cm x 3P) 2024 |  Rhapsody on a celestial No.1 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 190 x 150 cm x 3P 2024 |  The Sea No.1 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 170 x 280 cm 2024 |
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 Pirouette No.2 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 135 x 125 cm 2024 |  Pirouette No.3 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 135 x 125 cm 2024 |  Pirouette No.1 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 135 x 125 cm 2024 |
 The Blue Hour No.4 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 190 x 150 cm 2024 |  The Blue Hour No.5 Charcoal, oil stick on canvas 190 x 150 cm 2024 |
ARTIST
XIYAO WANG
b.1992, Chongqing, China
Lives and works in Berlin, Germany
Xiyao received a BA from Sichuan Fine Art Institute in China in 2014, and a BA and MFA from the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg (2018, 2020).
The Berlin-based Chinese artist creates large-scale, immersive paintings in which gestural lines evoke echoes of landscapes, bodies, movements, thoughts. In the process, she develops a kind of hybrid abstract painting that combines various influences and inspirations: Taoism and post-structuralism, ancient Chinese pictorial traditions, bodywork, dance, martial arts, and the canon of Western art history. Xiyao Wang’s paintings explore inner visions, bodily perceptions, sensations, feelings, interrogating her East-West biography.
Her solo exhibitions include: Tang Contemporary Art, Bangkok (2024), Massimo de Carlo, Milan (2024); Perrotin Gallery, New York (2024); Song Art Museum, Beijing (2023); Tang Contemporary Art, Beijing (2023); Perrotin Gallery, Seoul (2023); Massimo de Carlo, London (2023); König Gallery, Berlin (2023); Perrotin Gallery, Paris (2022); Arndt Collection, Melbourne (2022); Gerber Stauffer Fine Arts, Zurich (2021); A Thousand Plateaus Gallery, Chengdu (2021); Soy Capitán Gallery, Berlin (2019).
Her work has been featured in important international venues, including the Bangkok Art Biennale, Bangkok (2024); Tank Shanghai, Shanghai (2024); Yuan Art Museum, Beijing (2024); König Galerie (2024); Le Château d’Aubenas, South France (2024); K11 Art Foundation, Hongkong (2024); CAFA Art Museum, Beijing (2024); The Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing (2024); he Institutum, Singapore (2024); Yuan Art Museum, Beijing (2023); Shepparton Art Museum, Australia (2023); Pingshan Art Museum, Shenzhen (2023); Art Museum of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing (2023); Aurora Museum, Shanghai (2022); Jiu Shi Art Museum, Shanghai (2022); New Now Contemporary Art Museum, Rizhao (2023); Baumwollspinnerei, Leipzig (2020); Cité international des arts, Paris (2018); Sprink, Dusseldorf (2018); and Chongqing Contemporary Art Center (2015), among many others.