PROVENANCE:
Galerie Renate Kammer, Hamburg, Germany
Private collection, Hamburg, Germany
EXHIBITED:
Wish you a Safe Journey: An Exhibition of Xiaobai Su's Paintings,
Galerie Renate Kammer, Hamburg, Germany,
November 1 - December 1, 2007
ILLUSTRATED:
Wish you a Safe Journey: An Exhibition of Xiaobai Su's Paintings ,
invitation of Galerie Renate Kammer, Hamburg, 2007

I AM CONCERNED WITH PAINTING TECHNIQUES BECAUSE OF THEIR POTENTIAL
IN AFFECTING THE INDEPENDENCE EXISTENCE OF PAINTINGS. A PAINTING BY
ITSELF IS JUST A THIN PIECE OF CANVAS BUT ALL OF ITS INTERPRETATIONS SPRING
FROM THIS PIECE OF FABRIC. MY JOB IS TO MAKE THIS PIECE OF FABRIC WORK.
MANY IN THE NATURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES FIELD TALK ABOUT THIS PIECE OF
FABRIC, ENCOMPASSING MANY THEORIES AND METAPHYSICAL DISCUSSIONS. THIS
IS THE MACRO ENVIRONMENTAL IN WHICH ARTISTS LIVE IN. IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT
IT IS JUST THE BACKGROUND, NOT THE ESSENCE. MY ESSENCE IS THIS SURFACE
LAYER. IT IS A LAYER OF TEXTURE; IT HAS TO UNDERGO A DRYING PROCESS, IT
MUST BEAR PAINT AND OTHER MATERIALS. THE THICKNESS OF THE PIGMENT
DIRECTLY REFLECTS COLOR SATURATION.
– SU XIAOBAI

Su Xiaobai, a visiting artist in Germany, views his work through the cool, speculative lenses of a philosopher. He studied art at the Wuhan School of Arts and Crafts and the Oil Painting Department of Beijing Central Academy of Fine Arts. He traveled to Germany to study at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s.

In Su's eyes, art not only integrates culture but is also a fusion of technical skill and logic. For a long time, China's literati painters have long viewed themselves as being on a higher plateau than mere artisans and craftsmen, such arts and crafts have always been delegated to second class. Su is different, switching from oils to traditional Chinese lacquer. He has stated that his choice of lacquer as a medium is not a promotion of this traditional Chinese art but rather interest in the arrangement of colors and the creation of a scene.

The artist soaks the linen in lacquer and stretches the fabric over wooden frames. The texture of the linen is subtle but present, creating layers and depth. The lacquer darkens after it oxidizes and takes on a rich, gray tone with polishing. The titles of Su's abstract paintings are often mere codes and do not denote any particular image or story. The pictures present a collision of curves, straight lines, and blocks of color. There are no objects, no explanations or descriptions. This is the allure of his art.