“The triptych series draws references from magnified natural landscapes. Nature, for the planet, is like an ecosystem above its skin, akin to the relationship between hair or eyes and the human skin. When a photo of nature is scaled-up several times, it transforms into an entirely different composition. The principal difference between natural landscapes and butterfly wing patterns, for instance, is that the latter is made up of scales, creating a composition based on round dots. In contrast, natural landscapes feature many straight lines, which bring the scaled-up composition closer in a relationship with space, including the horizon and directions. The triptych is a horizontal composition. It’s relatively broader and has straight outlines, making it more suitable for depicting natural landscapes. With regard to the surface texture, it is no longer a repetition of scales but rather a use of the molding paste in order to simulate the brushstrokes, abstracting the natural landscape into raised reliefs. Influenced by Per Kirkeby’s way of transforming natural landscapes into varied brushstrokes and his handling of foreground and background, I incorporated sculpture and minimized the “drawing” of specific forms to create this series.

Fire Rings comes from a photo taken by the lakeside at sunset. When blown-up, the sunset’s reflection on the water forms a ring shape, while the slender waterweeds by the shore fracturing and drooping, compose a skeleton of an architectural structure”.

-Guan Xiao

In her most recent triptych, Fire Rings, 2024, Guan Xiao explores the natural environment and the human influence in the manipulation of natural resources—both for creative purposes and for more industrial uses, like the design of combat weaponry. The first of the three canvases is reminiscent of a paint palette, a recurring form in the artist’s practice, which likens the maker’s hand to the manufacturing engine in production.