In the delicate, shifting landscape of Venice—a city defined by its rhythmic struggle between architectural grandeur and the inevitable decay of the tides—alchemy seems to have found a profound vessel. As the global art community converges for the Venice Biennale, one of the most commanding presence in the city’s collateral landscape is the Chinese artist Su Xiaobai. His exhibition, “Su Xiaobai’s Alchemical Universe,” transforms the historic Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel into a space of geological and spiritual inquiry, where the ancient medium of lacquer is reimagined as a living, breathing sculptural language.
Presented by the Su Xiaobai Foundation in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the exhibition traces a three-decade evolution of a master practitioner. Through 35 works, the 77-year-old artist explores the boundary between painting and object, utilizing natural lacquer to create surfaces that do not merely reflect light but appear to emit it from within. For the global art market and collectors of contemporary Asian art, Su’s work represents a significant intersection of traditional craftsmanship and the avant-garde, signaling a shift toward “slow art” in an increasingly digitized era.
The Alchemy of Layering: A Laboratory of Lacquer
To understand Su Xiaobai’s practice is to understand a process that is as much scientific as This proves spiritual. Unlike the traditional atelier, Su’s studio functions more like a laboratory. His approach to Su Xiaobai lacquer art is defined by a rigorous, almost obsessive negotiation with his medium. Natural lacquer is a notoriously difficult material—strong, temperamental, and demanding of extreme patience.
The technical complexity of the work is staggering. Each painting is the result of a patient, stratified process that involves the application of over 20 individual layers. This is not a simple additive process; it is an act of “geological excavation.” Su intervenes in the material while it is still in flux, refusing to wait for the lacquer to fully solidify. By disrupting the stable crystallization of the medium, he captures a sense of perpetual motion, ensuring that the final surface possesses a chromatic depth that feels both ancient and immediate.
This method creates a vital tension between order and disorder. Su has noted that the use of grids in his monochromatic surfaces serves to both create and conquer chaos. As each layer is applied, the artist attempts to bring order back to the pigment sedimentations, turning the act of painting into a meditative struggle against entropy. The result is a surface that appears magmatic—matter momentarily at rest before shifting into a new state of being.
Bridging Literati Traditions and European Modernism
Su Xiaobai’s aesthetic lineage is uniquely dualistic, a product of his rigorous training at both the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. This educational background allowed him to bridge the gap between the refined traditions of Chinese literati painting and the structural complexities of postwar European modernism.
His career trajectory reflects a significant stylistic evolution. Moving away from the rigid constraints of Socialist Realist figuration and the traditional use of oil paints, Su transitioned toward a material-centric practice. This shift allowed him to move beyond mere representation, focusing instead on the “matter and energy” of the medium itself. By reinventing traditional lacquer techniques, he has carved out a space in the contemporary market that honors historical continuity while pushing the boundaries of what a “painting” can be.
This synthesis of East and West makes his presence at the Venice Biennale particularly poignant. In a venue like the Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel—a 15th-century Gothic palace—the dialogue between his Chinese roots and his European training finds a natural, atmospheric home. The porous, articulated architecture of the palace complements the “constellation” arrangement of his works, allowing the art to breathe within the historical weight of the Venetian setting.
Echoes of Modernization: The Fujian Installation
Beyond the individual paintings, the exhibition incorporates a profound commentary on the rapid socio-economic shifts occurring within China. One of the most striking elements of the installation involves salvaged materials from Fujian province. In a poignant juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern, Su has incorporated roof tiles recovered from homes demolished to make way for urban skyscrapers.
These tiles, symbols of a bygone era and a disappearing way of life, are coated in black or red lacquer and suspended in midair. Pierced with fine holes at each corner, they appear to float through the palace, creating a ghostly procession of architectural ruins. This installation serves as a testament to the “destruction and regeneration” cycle that characterizes both the alchemical process and the modern Chinese landscape. It forces the viewer to confront the cost of progress and the ephemeral nature of human habitation.
Exploring Transience through the ‘Niao Niao’ Series
At the heart of the exhibition lies Su’s newest series, titled Niao Niao. The name, a Chinese poetic phrase, evokes sensations of transience, evanescence, and the fleeting nature of existence. In these works, the solid surface of the lacquer seems to liquefy, mimicking the translucency of a crystal, the reflection of water, or the vast, dark abysses of the cosmos.
The Niao Niao series embodies the artist’s belief that destruction is a prerequisite for rebirth. This philosophy is not merely a stylistic choice but a core component of his meditative practice. By embracing the instability of the material, Su creates works that feel like living entities, evolving alongside the environment and the viewer’s own perception.
While some may look to the works for signs of Daoism or specific spiritual doctrines, Su remains deliberate in his refusal to impose meaning. He leaves the interpretation open, allowing the viewer to engage in their own process of contemplation. This openness is what lends the exhibition its “commanding” quality; it does not demand attention through spectacle, but rather through a quiet, gravitational pull that slows the viewer down.
Exhibition Overview: Su Xiaobai’s Alchemical Universe
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist | Su Xiaobai |
| Venue | Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel, Cannaregio, Venice |
| Collaborators | Su Xiaobai Foundation & LACMA |
| Key Medium | Natural Lacquer (Multi-layered) |
| Exhibition Status | Official Collateral Event of the Venice Biennale |
| Duration | Through November 22, 2026 |
For those visiting Venice, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to witness the intersection of high-level material science and profound philosophical inquiry. As Su Xiaobai continues to redefine the boundaries of lacquer, his work stands as a reminder of the power of patience and the enduring beauty found in the cycle of transformation.
The Venice Biennale continues its scheduled programming through late 2026. For updates on upcoming collateral exhibitions and official artist statements, please monitor the official Biennale announcements.
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