Xiao Yu

Xiao Yu explores symbols tied to Chinese identity and the ecology of the art world through painting, drawing, sculpture, video, performance, and installation.

Biography of Xiao Yu

Xiao Yu was born in 1965 in Inner Mongolia, China. In 1989, he completed his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he attended the Mural Painting Department and received a BFA.

In 2000, Xiao Yu received the Chinese Contemporary Art Award. He is also a founding member of the art group Polit-Sheer-Form-Office (PSFO), which approaches contemporary Chinese culture with a collective, humorous, and critical perspective.

He has participated in numerous prestigious international exhibitions, such as La Biennale di Venezia, the Lyon Biennial of Contemporary Art, the Shanghai Biennale, the Offsite Project of the Guangzhou Triennial at the Royal College of Art in London, and the 15th Istanbul Biennial.

His work has been showcased in group and solo exhibitions at esteemed institutions worldwide. Solo shows include "Xiao Yu: BB" at Pace Gallery in Hong Kong (2019), "Reciprocal Reconstruction – 6th Art Changsha: Xiao Yu" at Tan Guobin Contemporary Art Museum in Changsha (2017), "Cement Floor" at Pace Gallery in Beijing (2016), "Clues 3- Xiao Yu" at Minsheng Art Museum in Beijing (2016), and many more.

Xiao Yu's works have been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including "Let Me See You – Contemporary Art Inviting Exhibition of Chinese Artists Born in 1960s" at Fermentation Art Center in Shenyang (2021), "Panorama: Serendipitous Encounters of Worlds" at G Museum in Nanjing (2020), "Chewing Gum IV [Kohei Nawa, Kenneth Noland, Thomas Nozkowski, Adam Pendleton, Michael Rovner, Tony Smith, Xiao Yu, Zhang Xiaogang]" at Pace Gallery in Hong Kong (2020), "Heteroglossia" at How Art Museum in Shanghai (2018), among others.