For Intersect Aspen, Chambers Fine Art is excited to present recent works by artist Fu Xiaotong.
Born in Shanxi in 1976, Fu Xiaotong received her BA in Fine Arts from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 2000. After working at the Institute of the Arts at North China University of Science and Technology in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, she received her MA in Fine Arts from the Department of Experimental Art, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing in 2013.
For Fu Xiaotong, the process of creating her art is a process of self-knowledge. She has described how “in my early work I reflected upon the traditional Chinese literati paintings on rice paper and ink, as well as the relationship between needle and thread in traditional women's life.” As an experiment, Fu removed the nib from the brush of the Chinese writing and painting tool, and installed a needle for sewing and embroidery, and thus began her ten-year-long practice of piercing holes into traditional Xuan paper. This new, creative method effectively addressed her dual focus on traditional Chinese literati painting and traditional ‘female’ embroidery, highlighting her resistance to the inherent gender biases hidden in these two creative forms.
As she has become more proficient with her chosen materials and techniques, her creative process has become freer, more serene, and the range of subject matter in her work has become increasingly rich and complex. No longer using a limited repertoire of directional pinpricks according to predetermined plans, she now starts from the center and works in a circular rhythm, softening the sturdy paper until it results in a pronounced three-dimensional surface. These undulating surfaces evoke a multitude of associations, organic, cellular, human or animal skin, coral reefs and breaking waves.
A highlight of our presentation in Aspen will be the work 446,578 Pinpricks, which nearly covers an entire wall of the gallery’s booth in the form of a horizontal scroll. For this piece, Fu Xiaotong returns to the overwhelming majesty of mountain landscapes, showcasing her ability to capture their grandeur on a flat surface and encapsulating the deep connection she feels to the natural world.