薛若哲 Xue Ruozhe b. 1987
Xue Ruozhe was born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1978. After graduating from Oil Painting Department of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, he continued his study in the Painting Programme of the Royal College of Art in London, England, and obtained his master' s degree in 2015. His awards include Neville Burston Prize, Runners-up Prize of Gordon Luton Award for Fine Art, the Tom Bendhem prize for Figure Drawing, RCA, and he was shortlisted as finalists for the 2022 Sovereign Asian Art Prize.
Using painting as the main medium, his works explore the re-contextualization of the figurative painting system in the present in the rift between image and painting, painting and its own history. In the restrained narrative of the image suggests what has not yet been presented, what will happen. Using a highly limiting working method, he pushes the psychological density of painting to its limits by constantly subtracting elements from the painting - until the image appears in a sort of suspended, frozen state - thereby displacing the real in the painting.
In recent years, using painting as his main artistic approach, his works focus on exploring the boundaries of images as a medium.
His recent solo exhibitions include: “Come in please, whatever"(C5CNM, Beijing, 2021) "You Have Their Words"(Sabaki Space, Guangzhou, 2020)"the Second Life"(Jining Art Museum, Jining, 2020) "the Reflection of Narcissus" (Beijign Art Now Gallery, Beijing, 2020)"IN&OUT-PUT"(Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre, Xiamen,2019)“Distorted Reality” (Rosenfeld Porcini Gallery, 2019), “Transparent Wall” (PLATESPACE, 2019) “The Metaphor for Existence” (Beijing Art Now Gallery, 2017) “the Politics of the Void” (Rosenfeld Porcini Gallery, 2017), “the Plurals” (Beijing Art Now gallery, 2015)
Main group exhibitions include ”Focus China” （Moenchehaus Museum, Goslar，2021）"Metamorphosis, A Chapter of Figurative Painting Since 2010"（AMNUA，Nanjing，2021）"Jiang Han the Star Plan" (Wuhan Art Museum, 2019) "Rolling Snowball " (AMNUA, 2018) "Tramp Over the Mountains and Rivers" (Zhangzhou Art Museum, 2019) "Seeing Whales" (Galleria Mazzoli, 2017) "Elite Young Artist Programme" (Zhengguan Art Museum, 2017), etc.
