HUANG XU

Huang Xu focuses on a singular object, carefully staged to capture its ethereal beauty as opposed to its meaning within contemporary culture. In his Fragments series he creates large-scale prints that explore the fragile nature of the contemporary global economy. The tattered remains of abandoned plastic bags are digitally remodelled, using 3D scanners, to produce images of haunting luminosity. Huang Xu elevates this detritus to inspirational heights. Far from resembling waste, his densely textured, luminous prints suggest the fine silk textiles of Imperial China, evoking an age of decadence and wealth, recalling the historic trade links between China and the West.

Xu established the Substratum Art Studio in 1989, the Migrant Bird Art Studio in 1991 and the Big Basin Studio in 2003. He has exhibited internationally and works as a professional photographer in Beijing. He first showed with October Gallery in 2009, with the solo exhibition Fragments. Selected solo shows of Xu’s work include Triumph Art Space, Beijing, China; Force Gallery, China; Arc One Gallery, Melbourne, Australia; Jan Murphy Gallery, Brisbane, Australia; selected group shows at Birmingham Museum, Birmingham, UK; Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, South Korea; and his work has been collected by Birmingham Museum, Birmingham, UK; The White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney, Australia; University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Appalachian State University, Boone, USA; and ANZ Bank, Melbourne, Australia.

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View below for career highlights and works for sale by the artist.