Xiao Guo Hui (b. 1969, China) is a post-war and contemporary artist originally from Guangzhou, China. Though he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art in 1993, his notable artistic career started in Toronto, Ontario. Since 2005, he has been showcasing his work across the city through the Gibsone Jessop Gallery and the Christopher Cutts Gallery. He is the recipient of multiple arts grants in Canada and has also been rewarded with the Second Prize of the 2010 Art Interview, 20th International Online Artist Competition. Xiao has exhibited across the world from MK2 Bibliotheque in Paris, Fabian Lang Gallery in Switzerland, and Copelouzos Art Museum in Athens. 

Reminiscent of 14 and 15th century paintings, Xiao Guo Hui’s work implements egg tempera’s art historical tradition creating a luminous and timeless finish within his work. Through his stays in Canada, China and France, his works became a subtle combination of Asian and European pictorial imagery blended with eerie representations of silent cruelty among human beings. As such, the artist often explores themes of debauchery, gluttony, theft, and trafficking which are at times juxtaposed with a dreary carnival environment. His paintings are formed and visualized like a playful tableau vivant, often showing the full body of each figure. As each viewer witnesses his paintings, they become one of the many bystanders of a disturbing and existential plot that unfolds in each piece. Xiao has been connected with Christopher Cutts Gallery for decades, appearing as its representative artist in multiple art fairs, group exhibits, and solo shows since 2009. The most recent exhibition of Xiao’s work was “La Quotidienne,” in 2020.

“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 great paintings from Giotto to Piero Della Francesca. I was in awe of these masterpieces. I don’t see anything old or out of fashion in their work. On the contrary, I noticed that their precise composition, fantastic ability of managing colour and their solid construction make these paintings universal and timeless. This trip was a pivotal moment where past experiences came together to solidify my calling for painting.

I heard a very seducing voice urging me to follow their guidance toward the realm which I want to attain. After this trip, I started to use egg tempera working on canvas to transform my inspiration. Egg tempera is an ancient technique which brings more transparency to the colour. Thus, it gives the painting an unique temperament. I have become so enamoured with this technique. I love the way egg tempera feels and that it requires to nish a painting stroke by stroke. I believe that a good painting should be done with great patient and passion. Just like an enthusiastic believer praying to the god. 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 equibrium in composition have deeply influenced my painting. Aesthetically, I love to stand far away from reality in order to recreate a reality that takes reality by surprise. I am fascinated by play for I believe that only in play is our true nature revealed.

Year after Year, I have been exploring this universal theme, which, like art, cuts across the boundaries of culture and language.”