Gu Xiaoping (b 1969, Jiangsu, China)
Currently lives and works in Beijing, China
Graduated from the East China Normal University in Shanghai and the Nanjing University of the Arts, Gu has been active in the practice and creation of contemporary experimental art in China since the 1990s. In the past decade, Gu's practice of the "Ink Line" series involves the use of traditional Chinese ink measuring tools to repeatedly and methodically create balanced lines on rice paper or linen. These seemingly precise yet accidental-coloured lines appear to extend infinitely, without boundaries, forming a visually rhythmic yet restrained effect. This experience of returning to the traditional spirit of craftsmanship generates an Eastern Zen quality through the daily repetition of line-making. As a result, his works develop a unique vocabulary and spiritual force that transcends traditional Eastern and Western artistic categories. This spiritual force continually inspires his creationand reflection, embodying the artist's rethinking and rediscovery of art in today's digital age. Gu's works are collected by private collectors and important institutions both domestically andinter nationally, including M+Museum (Hong Kong), Uli Sigg Foundation, Guangdong Art Museum, White Box Museum of Art (Beijing), Chambers Fine Art (New York), Chengdu Contemporary Art Museum, Jiangsu Art Museum and Macau Museum of Art among others.