IN SEARCH OF DAO – THE LATEST WORKS OF XUE SONG

6 Sep - 15 Nov 2022
  • Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022
  • In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song

    Kwai Fung Hin is delighted to present In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, which showcases more than 20 recent collage works from “The Dao from Nature” series created by the Chinese Pop artist since 2019.

    Xue Song’s art fuses East and West, ancient and modern, as well as fine arts and popular culture. His works are born from fire, through the destruction and regeneration of images, to form collaged compositions that represent a holistic yet diverse world. This exhibition presents the enlightenment and breakthrough of Xue Song’s creative process in recent years, from narrative imagery to abstract forms of expression, and witnesses his thoughts on the laws of nature, his search for a harmonious relationship between the world and man, and his pursuit of the way of art. This exhibition is the third exhibition of the artist organised by Kwai Fung Hin since 2008 and 2014. It runs from 6 September to 15 November 2022.

  • “From destruction to rebirth, the cycle of life is endless.”

    - Xue Song
  • The term “The Dao from Nature” is derived from the philosophical concept that “Dao models itself aer nature” as expounded...
    Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022
    The term “The Dao from Nature” is derived from the philosophical concept that “Dao models itself aer nature” as expounded in the Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way). It means that the movement of all things in the universe follows the “Dao”, that is, the origin of the world as well as the laws of nature itself. The nature of the Dao is spontaneous, and repeats itself in endless cycles.
  • Born in Dangshan, Anhui Province, Xue Song spent a childhood in close proximity to nature, and was also influenced by...
    Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022

    Born in Dangshan, Anhui Province, Xue Song spent a childhood in close proximity to nature, and was also influenced by the Daoist philosophy of Zhuangzi. Almost in his sixties, Xue Song has already lived through urban prosperity and political, economic and cultural turmoil. Now, he begins to pursue a state of purity and modesty. He has embraced simplicity by cutting out the superfluous in his works, and has gradually transformed his art from unique, sharp and niche expressions to in-depth explorations of his inner world.

  • Xue Song 薛 松, The Dao from Nature Series - Spring《法自然系列 - 春》, 2021 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Xue Song 薛 松, The Dao from Nature Series - Summer《法自然系列 - 夏》, 2021 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Xue Song 薛 松, The Dao from Nature Series - Autumn《法自然系列 - 秋》, 2021 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Xue Song 薛 松, The Dao from Nature Series - Winter《法自然系列 - 冬》, 2021 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).

    The Dao from Nature Series - Spring《法自然系列 - 春》, 2021

  • Through the destruction and regeneration of images in his works, Xue Song ponders “the laws of nature”. He discovers and...
    Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022
    Through the destruction and regeneration of images in his works, Xue Song ponders “the laws of nature”. He discovers and extracts images from nature, and then deconstructs and reassembles them with skilful and adept collage techniques. The subject matter of his work has abandoned all identifiable cultural symbols and historical narratives, instead presenting abstract representations of nature, the four seasons, solar terms and other natural phenomena,to envision the endless cycles of life.
  • From afar, his works reveal faint images of water, fire, leaf veins, marble and cracked ice, as well as the...
    Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022

    From afar, his works reveal faint images of water, fire, leaf veins, marble and cracked ice, as well as the formal beauty of the abstract, while iconic ready-made images and textual collages emerge from a closer look at them. A paradox between the microscopic and the macroscopic, as well as tensions between form and content, constantly create dramatic fluctuations between rupture and rebirth in his paintings.

  • Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022

  • A feature of Chinese abstract painting is the ambiguity between likeness and unlikeness. Diverging from Western abstract art’s use of gestural marks, Xue Song’s works highlight his fascination with the abstract elements created from magnifying the details of the natural world. This approach can be traced back to his “Text and Calligraphy” series in 2002. Xue Song used details of cursive fonts as the basis of his images, breaking the pattern of Chinese character structures and denying the meaning of the “words”. The mutual references and transformation of abstraction and calligraphy make the image somehow recognisable, yet unrecognisable at the same time. “The Dao from Nature” series seemingly asks people to relinquish their habitual thoughts and re-understand these images, the world, the present time, and the relationship between heaven and man in terms of contradictions, engendering new forms of inspiration.

  • Installation view, In Search of Dao – the Latest Works of Xue Song, 6 Sep- 15 Nov 2022 © Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery 2022
  • About the Artist One of the pioneers of contemporary Chinese Pop Art, Xue Song was born in Anhui, China in...
    About the Artist


    One of the pioneers of contemporary Chinese Pop Art, Xue Song was born in Anhui, China in 1965, and graduated in 1988 from the Shanghai Theatre Academy's Department of Stage Design. A studio fire accident in 1990 was the turning point for Xue Song's artistic career. Fire and collage consequently became his trademark techniques, with flames and ashes used to transform disparate printed fragments into an image that addresses wider issues such as society, politics, tradition, humanities, nature and aesthetics in abstract art.

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