b. 1995, Nantong, China
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY Xingzi Gu (they/them) received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018, and completed an MFA at New York University in 2023. Interwoven a wide range of soft color palette with ethereal flowing forms, Gu’s work delves into the unspeakable interplay between intimacy and solitude, the self and the other in the customary behaviors across cultural boundaries. Their works embody the complex experience of traversing geographical and physical limitations, attempting to reconcile the disorientation and weightlessness of a wanderer adrift in a dreamlike, surreal landscape of their own fictional creation. Rooted in a visual language shaped by their oriental sensibilities and upbringing, Gu employs the traditional Chinese brush painting technique, using varying density of color wash–dry and wet, light and thick–to evoke themes of loneliness, alienation, and belonging in the context of migration and displacement. This transformation unfolds within the flowing, nebulous affection of the artwork, where the desire and emotion intertwine with the vaporous sphere. Gu’s painted figures often rest in intimate embrace or exist serenely within an otherworldly realm, lodged in a sensual yet innocent exploration that deepens the fluidity of gender and power dynamics in their relationships. Willing from restraint, Gu’s tranquil compositions enlivened by the unique qualities of their materials, unveil a plethora of ambiguities that extends beyond the narrative on the surface. The self emerges within misty landscapes, where the imagination and reality converge. Their recent solo exhibitions include: Pure Heart Hall , Lubov, New York, 2024; The Feeling Begins , 80WSE Gallery Project Space, New York, 2022. Group exhibitions include: Meet me by the lake , CLEARING, New York, 2024; Can Thought Go On Without A Body? , Stilllife, New York, 2024; dimly at first , Loft 121 Gallery, New York, 2023; Loosie , 80WSE Gallery Project Space, New York, 2023; White Lodge , island gallery, New York, 2023; Nature 2023 , CICA – Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gimpo, 2023. Gu Xingzi is the recipient of the Zeta Orionis Fellowship in 2023; the ArtRights Prize from the 11th Prisma Art Prize in 2022; and more. Their work is in the collection of Auckland Central City Library.
