About
(b. 1998, Chengdu, China) Xiao He is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in San Francisco. Xiao holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has completed an online drawing development year at the Royal Drawing School London. Her recent exhibitions include 2024 Reisig and Taylor Contemporary in Los Angeles, 2023 4C Gallery in Los Angeles, 2022 Art Capital in Paris, France, Upstream Gallery in New York, USA, Huacui Contemporary Art Center in Shanghai, China, and Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, USA. Her artist interviews have been featured in Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine, ShoutoutLA and VoyageLA, along with residencies awarded at the Cubberley Artist Studio Program in 2024 and the Kala Art Institute in 2023. Her mixed-media artists' book, "A Collection of Random Thoughts," is part of the permanent collection of the Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection in Chicago.
Artist Statement
I explore human emotions and storytelling in my works, drawing inspiration from literature, film, and found photographs from magazines, such as the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” Yasujirō Ozu’s “Ikiru,” and magazines published in the ‘90s in Hong Kong that I accidentally discovered in a grocery store in San Francisco’s Chinatown. There is no absolute standard or theme for my sources, but one thing they have in common is that they all touched me deeply, whether of pain or ecstasy, so profoundly that I feel an urge to continue that feeling and create a painting from it.
I intentionally create ambiguities in my paintings, whether by obscuring the space or the identity of the figures. I want to provide an entry point for the viewer to decide what they think the painting is about, but at the same time, by not revealing everything literally, it is up to the viewers to fill in their own interpretations and emotions.
When I was painting back in art school, I liked rosy colors. However, as I saw more of life’s complex and layered aspects, my palette changed. I began to appreciate painters I didn’t like before, such as Francis Bacon and Edvard Munch. I am no longer afraid of confronting and depicting themes that are disturbing, grotesque, and even ugly. It takes courage, but I believe it is a necessity for my works to confront the brutality of truth and life.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA, 2018
Masters Degree, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA, 2020
Online Drawing Development Year, Royal Drawing School, London, UK
Artist Interviews and Press
CanvasRebel Magazine, Interview with Xiao He
ShoutoutLA, Meet Xiao He | Artist
VoyageLA, Meet Xiao He
Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine, 10 Questions with Xiao He
Vogue China, Postwave Artist Xiao He
Selected Exhibitions
(upcoming) 2024 Palo Alto Art Center, What's Cookin'?: Art about food, culture and community, Palo Alto, USA
2024 Project Molène, Shadowed Utopia, Oakland, USA
2024 Reisig and Taylor Contemporary, San Francisco Art Fair, Los Angeles, USA
2024 Reisig and Taylor Contemporary, There’s no telling time, Los Angeles, USA
2024 Alma Rise Gallery, Embodied Perspectives, Berkeley, USA
2024 Reisig and Taylor Contemporary, Other Days, Los Angeles, USA
2024 Royal Drawing School Breakers Gallery, Drawing Beyond , London, UK
2023 Summer Exhibition, The Gallery at Green & Stone, London, UK
2023 4C Gallery, Q2 exhibition, Los Angeles, USA
2023 Voss Gallery, Letters from Paradise, San Francisco, USA
2023 San Francisco Superfine Art Fair, San Francisco, USA
2022 Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
2022 2nd SKYLINE International Exhibition, Villa Venino, Novate Milanese, Milan, Italy
2022 Grand Rapids Art Prize, Michigan, USA
2022 Art San Diego, Solo Artist, San Diego, USA
2022 Art Santa Fe, Solo Artist, Santa Fe, USA
2022 MuseConnect Gala and Art Auction, New York, USA
2022 Artexpo New York, New York, USA
2022 Art Capital, Grand Palais Éphémère, Paris, France
2021 Barcelona International Art Fair, Barcelona, Spain
2021 Biennale di Genova, Genoa, Italy
2021 Shanghai Postwave Art Fair, Shanghai, China
2021 Long Island City Artists, Drawings in a Time of Renewal, New York, USA
2021 Upstream Gallery, Layers of Time, New York, USA
2021 Colors of Humanity Art Gallery, Black and White, Pennsylvania, USA
2021 Art Gallery 118 / Out My Window, New York, USA
2018 Show Don’t Tell, Design Exhibition at Chicago Design Museum, Chicago, USA
2018 SAIC BFA Exhibition, Chicago, USA
2017 Book 062, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, USA
2017 A Collection of Random Thoughts, currently part of the permanent collection of Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, Chicago, USA
2016 Love’s Many Mouths, Performance Art, Ballroom Projects, Chicago, USA
2016 Abandoned Practice Art Installation, Sullivan Gallery, Chicago, USA
Artist Residencies
2024 Cubberley Artist Studio Program, Palo Alto, USA
2023 Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, USA
Awards and Public Collections
2021 GDUSA American Inhouse Design Award, On the Road, New York, USA
2017 Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection, Chicago, USA
Professional Experience
2020 - 2022 Software Engineer, Vision Pro Group, Apple, Sunnyvale, USA
2019 Software Engineering Intern, Jump Trading, Chicago, USA
2017 - 2018 Curatorial Assistant, Roger Brown Study Collection, Chicago, USA
