Xuelian Wu:「 Ink Dreams 」
Solo Painting Exhibition of Xuelian Wu
Ink Dreams invites you into a realm where ink flows like the essence of dreams, capturing the delicate dance between reality and the subconscious.This solo exhibition by artist Xuelian Wu features 13 captivating paintings that offer a profound exploration of ink as both a medium and a metaphor, seamlessly blending tradition with her deeply personal, contemporary vision. Each piece becomes a portal, guiding the viewer through Wu’s introspective journey, where ink reveals moments of silence, memory, and reflection.
About Artist
Xuelian Wu is a prominent contemporary artist from China and a graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Her works have been featured in numerous prestigious international exhibitions, including the Belgium International Art Fair, the 5th Beijing International Art Biennale, and the 12th Korea International Art Fair.
Wu’s practice centers on simplicity in both form and material. With a minimalist visual language, she shapes refined contours and gestures that are both restrained and expressive. Ink, silver foil, and various pigments serve as the bridge between the artist and her subjects—each medium and technique conveying a distinct emotional tone.
Drawn to the subtle variations within simple forms, Wu creates works that are understated yet profound. Every stroke and hue is carefully considered, resulting in a quiet, contemplative beauty. Through her art, viewers are invited to discover layers of meaning and to find resonance between the imagery and their own inner reflections.
Wu's mastery of ink allows her to navigate the interplay of shadow and light, fluidity and form. Her work transcends the boundaries of time and space, merging elements of nature, history, and inner contemplation. With every stroke, she draws us into a space where dreams are not bound by logic, but instead flow with an instinctual rhythm—like the ink itself.
Step into Ink Dreams, and let Xuelian Wu’s art envelop you in a world of boundless imagination, where each piece invites you to pause, reflect, and wander through the infinite landscapes of the mind.
Artworks
Xuelian Wu
Magical, 2012
Silver foil, colored pencils, bast paper
110 x 81 x 2 cm
In Magical, Wu renders two figures in a quiet embrace, outlined in colored pencil and accented with the delicate shimmer of silver foil. The simplicity of the composition belies its emotional depth: subtle lines and textures unfold an intimate space suspended between presence and absence. Through reduction and nuance, Wu invites viewers to encounter a silent yet profound emotional dialogue.
Xuelian Wu
Wandering, 2009 (Sold)
Silver foil, colored pencils, bast paper
170 x 70 cm
Wandering captures a solitary figure mid-turn, wrapped in subtle lines and shadowed textures that evoke a quiet sense of movement and introspection. Through the interplay of silver foil, ink, and delicate red pigment, Wu conveys the emotional weight of uncertainty and the fleeting beauty of transition—suggesting a journey not just through space, but through memory and self.
Xuelian Wu
Tenacious No.2 (Left Panel), 2021
Silver foil, colored pencils, bast paper
111 x 81 x 2 cm
In Tenacious No.2, Wu delineates a solitary figure folded inward with restrained, tensile lines. The muted shimmer of silver foil merges with delicate pencil contours, evoking a fragile yet resilient presence. The posture, at once compressed and poised, embodies quiet endurance and psychological intensity, distilling strength through minimal form.
Xuelian Wu
Tenacious No.3 (Right Panel), 2021
Silver foil, colored pencils, bast paper
105 x 44 x 2 cm
In Tenacious No.3, Wu renders a figure bent to its limits in a gesture of intense inner concentration. The muted shimmer of silver foil and the fine, deliberate contours create an image suspended between tension and stillness. Through restrained means, the painting reveals a silent strength—a meditation on resilience, vulnerability, and the quiet endurance embedded within the human form.
Xuelian Wu
The Antithetical · A (Left Panel), 2009
Silver foil, colored pencils, bast paper
113 x 82.5 x 1.5 cm
Wu envelops the human figure in silver foil, creating a surface of muted luminosity and restrained texture. Subtle cracks and tonal shifts across the silver enhance the painting’s emotional tension, where the curled posture evokes a profound, introspective experience. Within its minimalism, the work gathers a sense of near-sacred tranquility.
Xuelian Wu
The Antithetical · B (Right Panel), 2009
Colored pencils, bast paper
113 x 82.5 x 1.5 cm
In The Antithetical · B, Wu outlines the same figure using delicate pencil lines, without the shielding of silver foil. The image appears more fragile and ethereal, with breathing spaces between line and emptiness. The drawing exudes a translucent, inward poetry, reflecting Wu’s precise sensitivity to subtle shifts in form and emotion.
Xuelian Wu
To Live · A (Center Panel), 2011
Ink and mineral pigment on silk
95 x 95 x 0.3 cm
In To Live · A, a man and a woman quietly face each other across a wide open space. Rendered in delicate washes, their figures emerge subtly between presence and absence. Through minimalist composition, Wu evokes the subtle, continuous emotional tension between human beings, inviting reflections on connection, understanding, and silent resonance.
Xuelian Wu
To Live · B (Left Panel), 2011
Ink and mineral pigment on silk
124 x 54 x 0.3 cm
Wu uses minimalist lines and subtle ink washes to depict a solitary woman standing in stillness. Her gentle, inward posture, with hands slightly extended, suggests a silent search for connection. The vast expanse of negative space evokes meditation on existence, solitude, and silent expectation.
Xuelian Wu
To Live · C (Right Panel), 2011
Ink and mineral pigment on silk
124 x 54 x 0.3 cm
In To Live · C, a man gazes upward toward an unseen height. Rendered through diluted ink and soft contours, his figure hovers between presence and void, blending fragility with resilience. Wu’s restrained visual language captures a timeless moment, inviting reflection on life, longing, and the search for permanence.
Xuelian Wu
Trees No.12, 2023
Mineral pigment on bast paper
111 x 81 x 2 cm
In Trees No.12, Wu portrays two barren trees with exquisite restraint against a softly graded background. Their fragile yet resolute branches unfold into an open, luminous space, while delicate shadows ground them in a barely tangible landscape. Through controlled composition and subtle tonal shifts, the work evokes a meditation on time, solitude, and resilience, inviting viewers into a space of quiet emotional resonance.
Xuelian Wu
Trees No.8, 2018
Mineral pigment on bast paper
81 x 87 x 2 cm
In Trees No.8, Wu depicts a solitary tree silhouetted against a vast, muted ground. The stark contrast between the dark trunk and the pale, expansive background intensifies the presence of the tree’s intricate, reaching branches. Through a radical reduction of spatial elements, the painting evokes a quiet meditation on solitude, resilience, and the suspended flow of time and being.
Xuelian Wu
Trees No.6, 2023
Mineral pigment on bast paper
81 x 111 x 2 cm
In Trees No.6, Wu portrays a solitary, contorted tree set against a backdrop of structured horizontal and vertical planes. The restrained gray-white palette and architectural divisions lend the composition a sense of order, subtly disrupted by the tree's irregular, searching branches. The painting unfolds between minimalism and variation, where quietude conceals a latent tension, inviting a contemplative engagement with resilience, solitude, and fleeting presence.
Xuelian Wu
Trees No.5, 2018
Mineral pigment on bast paper
82 x 111 x 2 cm
In Trees No.5, Wu depicts a solitary tree standing on an expansive, subtly undulating ground. The delicate gradations of grey and the minimal horizon create a space that feels both infinite and abstract. The tree's silhouette, poised against the void, casts a slender shadow that suggests quiet movement. Beneath its sparse composition, the painting evokes a meditation on solitude, time, and the silent resilience of nature.
Get in touch.
For further information about the artists, available works, purchase inquiries, or collaboration opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re happy to provide detailed materials and discuss how these pieces may become part of your collection or exhibition program.