Xiao Yu

In Chinese literature the butterfly stands for freedom, love, philosophical disorder and fared beauty.

Without language context the butterfly stands not only for pure beauty, exuberantly and fragile, but also for temporarily and perishable, similar with the beauty of life.

The artist uses the butterfly as a metaphor for contemporary people. We romp, dance and run around, but are "only burning ash of a thoughtful world" according to Walter Benjamin's description of the Paris in the 19th century.

Click images for more detailed information!.

Biography

Born in 1965 in Inner Mongolia.

1989 Central Academy of Fine Arts , Department of Fresco, Beijing, China.


Solo Exhibitions:

1994 Search for a Spouse, Beijing TV Station, Beijing, China.

Group Exhibitions:

1987 Walking Towards the Future Painting Exhibition, National Art Museum, Beijing, China;

1996 Alliance, Art Exhibition of the Graduates in the 80's-90's from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, National Art Museum, Beijing, China;

1998 Self-Reflexive - Self and Environment Art Exhibition, Beijing, China;

1999 Singularity and Delusion: Post-Perceptual Art Exhibition, Beijing, China; Chinese Contemporary Arts by Four Artists, Odden Ladegaard, Denmark;

2000 ABOUT ME - Chinese Experimental Photography, Sanya Photography Gallery, Shanghai; Museum of Yunnan Arts Institute, Kunming, China; FUCK OFF, Xi Suzhoulu 1133, Shanghai, China; Contemporary Art Exhibition: A Hurtful Infatuation, Beijing, China; Lyon Biennale, Lyon, France; The Ache: Wang Yin, Xiao Yu, Yang Maoyuan Works Exhibition, Beijing Museum of Design, Beijing, China; Chinese Avant-Garde Artists Documenta, Fukuoka Museum of Art, Japan;

2001 La Biennale di Venezia 49, Venice, Italy; Weightlessness, Gallery Volker Diehl, Berlin, Germany; New Starting Point, Artist Warehouse, Beijing, China; ARTFILE 2001, Another Shore Art Inc, Kunming Studio, China;

2002 Inside and Between, Communication and Identification in Contemporary Art, National Centre for Contemporary Arts Ministry of Culture of Russia, Kaliningrad, Russia; Transformation, One World Art Center, Beijing, China; Too Much Flavour, 3H Art Center, Shanghai, China; W.X.Y., China Art Archives & Warehouse, Beijing, China; Run Jump Crawl Walk, The East Modern Art Center, Beijing, China; When It Rains It Pours, DDM Warehouse, Beijing, China;

2003 Alors, La Chine?, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France; Junction, Architectural Experiment of Chinese Contemporary Art, Lianyang Architecture Art Museum, Shanghai, China; Distance, A Collection of The Guangdong Museum of Art Contemporary, Art Invitational Exhibition, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China; City Net Asia, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; Second Hand Reality, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China; Left Hand, Right Hand, 798 Art Space, Beijing, China; Villa Museum, Hui Gen Yuan, Beijing, China;

2004 Undercurrents - Contemporary Video Art From China, Zehdenickerstrasse 12A, Berlin-Mitte, Germany; Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China; Is It Art, An Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Xi'an, China;

2005 Only One Wall, Beijing Commune, Beijing, China; Banana Surfer, IEUM Gallery, Beijing, China; Mahjong Contemporary Chinese Art, Sigg Collection, Kunstmuseum Bern, Switzerland; Mayfly, Beijing Commune, Beijing, China; Only One Wall, Beijing Commune, Beijing, China; Always to the Front - China Contemporary Art, Kuandu Museum, Taipei; Conspire, 1st Exhibition of TS1 Contemporary Art Center, Beijing, China; Clues - Fang Lijun, Wang Yi, Xiaoyu, Yang Maoyuan, White Space Beijing, Beijing, China; City Skin - Images of the Contemporary Metropolis, Macao Tap Seac Gallery, Macao; Shenzhen Museum of Art, China;

2006 Changes in Secret, Yibo Gallery, Shanghai, China; Beijing Commune, ARTSPACE, Sydney, Autralia; Size Decides Attitude-First 5x7" Picture Taking Biennale Project Pingyao, Shanxi; TS1 Contemporary Art Center, Beijing, China; In Person, Songzhuang, Beijing, China;

2007 Flat, dull, Songzhuang Xiaopu Cultural Center, Beijing , China.

Award

2000 CCAA Award (Overall Prize), Beijing, China