For Shuo Hao, finding the proper place is at the heart of her practice. The Chinese artist, who is currently based in Paris, has long been interested in the ancient text Yijing and how it offers a system of understanding for a world perpetually in flux. The cosmological book provides structure through the five elements—earth, water, air, fire, and metal—and also considers the relationships between humans and nature and the order of things, more broadly.
Shuo Hao works with antique furniture, typically sourced from auctions and second-hand shops. Wood worn with age is her preferred material, and most objects she selects date between the 16th and 20th centuries. Like much of her practice, choosing these objects emerges more from intuition rather than a desire for particular physical qualities. Focusing on their surfaces, she paints a paints a panel or door, transforming both prized and forgotten pieces into surreal works.
“Sometimes it’s just a subconscious feeling that a certain arrangement works, and later, upon analyzing the structure of the materials, I find that it indeed does,” she tells Colossal. “So I trust intuition. Everything that comes directly from it feels natural and authentic.”
Describing her process as “a kind of self-repair,” Shuo Hao considers herself in the Jungian tradition—the Swiss psychologist also embraced the teachings of the Yijing—as she gathers and arranges pieces in a way that’s therapeutic. She adds:
I search for the right parts to assemble a work, and each part reflects aspects of my own personality and experiences. When a piece is complete, it feels like an independent and complete personality has emerged, giving a sense of wholeness. I feel my breath flows more freely.
Surreal in content and celestial in color, the paintings feature strange hybrid creatures and often nod to ancient mythmaking. There’s a three-headed dog evocative of the Greek Cerberus, the monstrous being that guards the underworld. Other works feature a sleek, Sphinx-like character lounging on lace, along with ouroboros snakes, disembodied hands, florals, and vessels. Rendered with a distinctive lustrous quality, Shuo Hao’s subject matter tends to conjure moments of transition, and likely, transformation.
Having closed a solo exhibition this fall, Shuo Hao is currently in her own phase of change as she reflects and reorients herself. Some of this occurs through writing, which the artist considers an essential companion to her painting practice. “I write daily—thoughts, stories—and each session gives me a strong feeling of being alive. Writing and painting interact and support each other,” she adds.
Find much more of Shuo Hao’s work on Instagram.
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