Su Xiaobai’s Alchemical Universe

Su Xiaobai’s Alchemical Universe features 23 lacquer paintings by Chinese contemporary artist Su Xiaobai, created from 2009 to the present, including his first lacquer work made in China’s Fujian Province in 2003. Aligned with the Biennale 2026 theme, In Minor Keys, the exhibition foregrounds twelve works from Su’s recent Niao Niao series. The term Niao Niao evokes poetic states of transience and quiet resonance — moonlight on snow, distant bells, mountains veiled in mist. Meditative and restrained, these monochromatic works hover between being and non-being, recalling the tonal subtlety of classical Chinese ink painting.

Born in Wuhan in 1949, Su trained in both oil and ink painting in China before studying at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. His practice shifted in 2003 when he adopted lacquer as his primary medium during a stay in Fujian, China’s historic centre of lacquer production. Since then, he has explored lacquer’s material and philosophical potential through layered, abraded surfaces infused with pigments and metals.