Festivity

Works by Deng Xiao in his solo exhibition with VillageOneArt offer viewers a visual paradise, with elements of fantasy and myth that allude to universal themes. Espousing a contemporary take on Neoclassical and Rococo styles, and combining these with a clever infusion of Surrealism, works on view – such as "Passing Away" and "Impermanence of Black and White" – provide a new lens through which to consider traditional and modern forms of beauty. For this solo show with the gallery, the artist presents an ambitious suite of imagery in dialogue with themes in the art historical canon delving into the realms of heaven and earth: universal topics captured here in a brilliant range of contour, light and shadow.

Natural themes extend into various elements in his paintings, with delicately and realistically rendered flower petals and blooms and natural elements such as water and clouds complementing images of figures and angels, which are centered in the picture plane, as is visible in “Passing Away.” Costumes and visages of figures presented in these fantastical tableaux evoke the stylistic qualities found in more classical European painting styles from painters working in the Northern Italian and Flemish traditions, while sly hints toward modern fabrics and party balloons filling out the spectacle of her monumental compositions. Grand and sweeping in scope and subject matter, Xiao’s visionary painting style marks a new adaptation of classical subject matter firmly - and skillfully - rooted in the contemporary.