Xiao SE / 萧瑟

Xiao Se (1970, Beijing - 2023) was a Chinese artist who grew up during a period of profound social and political changes in post-revolutionary China. He exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions in China, the United States, and Europe. Moreover, in 2000, he was nominated as one of the Emerging Talents in Chinese Oil Paintings in the official art magazine Art Research.

Born in Beijing during the second half of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966 - 1976), Xiao experienced a lonely childhood, feeling marginalized. However, his passion for drawing blossomed when his parents, bringing home letterhead from their workplaces, sparked his creativity by drawing on it for fun. This story circulated in the neighborhood, and subsequently, a neighboring art teacher introduced Xiao to oil painting, imparting secret lessons in his home. Art became the greatest joy of his childhood, providing happiness in a challenging period.

From 1986 to 1991, he studied at Beijing’s School of Fine Arts, the PRC. Xiao closely experienced the student movements in 1989, known as the June Fourth Incident. Later, in 1995, he graduated from the Environment Art Design Center at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Design.
Xiao Se’s art does not reflect on the tumultuous events he experienced during his youth. Instead, it becomes a means through which to understand and interpret the conflict between Chinese tradition and rapid modernisation. He possessed a unique perspective, clearly shaped by his personal experience, and this is evident in his paintings. They offer a critical, reflective, yet playful gaze at the past and present of Chinese society.

In his early works, the artist created a sort of collage of figures that are completely contrasting, much like the past and the present in his country. Enriched with a clear ironic tone, Xiao Se’s paintings evoke the past through characters and motifs from Northern Renaissance masterpieces, while hyperrealistic contemporary Chinese male and female figures refer to the present. What makes these compositions even more interesting are the surreal spaces they inhabit, often characterized by a black background and red curtains, suggesting the lack of transparency that pervaded Chinese society. The whimsical nature of Xiao Se’s works prompts reflection on Chinese society, but making it lighter, more digestible, through humor and the blending of reality and illusion.

Xiao Se’s artistic production after 2019 is visually very different from his previous artwork. After a period of severe illness, the artist underwent an awakening, realizing his desire to express and focus on the theme of human civilization, and recognizing the threats to cultural diversity, the limitations of the political system, and concerns about cybersecurity. This “change of course” clearly had a significant impact on his artistic technique. His near-death experience gave rise to the Yellow series, dominated by a yellowish hue. The scenes depicted have no direct connection to his experience, but it is the color itself that deeply touched him, giving him a sense of serenity.

Between 2020 and 2021, the artist produced the Grey series, where creamy shades ranging from grey to blue tinge the canvas. The scenes predominantly portray children near a pool or by the sea. Unlike his early paintings, these works do not convey sharp political messages softened by laughter, but rather a sense of complete tranquility, freedom, the joy of being children, and enjoying leisure time.