Cui Xiaodong

Cui Xiaodong, born 1964, in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province China, is a Chinese modern contemporary painter. Xiaodong graduated from the China Academy of Art with a Bachelor’s degree in 1990, followed by a Master's degree from the same institute in 1996. Heavily inspired by Conceptualism, one of the famous central movements during that period, he started painting in an abstract expressionist style. Having published more than 30 books, he is considered an esteemed representative of traditional Chinese painting as well as contemporary art in China. He is influenced by feminism, which has a strong impact on his visual language. He has won numerous awards at national and international podiums.
With his training in traditional painting, Xiaodong’s work is the combination of classic Chinese painting and the aesthetic of modern consciousness. Developing a sense of modernity while keeping the stylistic features of traditional painting styles, in recent years, his painting techniques have become a great learning tool. His oeuvre is not only stylistic but also boards on a variety of European modern art movements like post-impressionism, expressionism, romanticism and realism.
In his pursuit of exploring an endless meaning of the natural matter, Xiaodong concentrates on the exposed use of the brush, the traditional style of Chinese painting, such as the drifting clouds and flowing water. His paintings do not create a three-dimensional illusion, he changes the space into two dimensions, allowing the landscapes in nature to be flat. Spontaneous yet pragmatic, the undaunted brushstrokes are a futuristic attribute of Xiaodong’s practice.
Xiaodong is an active member of the Chinese Artists Association and Zhejiang Oil-Painting Association. Significantly, he is currently serving as a professor of CAFA, Director of Yan Huang Art Museum.