Eyes On: Xiaoze Xie | Denver Art Museum

Xiaoze Xie has a lifelong passion for books. In his worldview, books are conveyers of prestige and signifiers of collective cultural knowledge: repositories of historical meaning, cultural conflict, and political strife. For Eyes On: Xiaoze Xie, the artist has created still-life paintings of books, videos, and installations based on banned and forbidden books in China.

Born in a small town in Guangdong Province, China, at the beginning of the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1966, Xie now splits his time between studios in Beijing and Palo Alto, California, where he is the Paul L. & Phyllis Wattis Professor of Art at Stanford University.

With Eyes On: Xiaoze Xie, the Denver Art Museum initiates a series of exhibitions featuring contemporary artists who we believe should have fuller exposure to our audiences. Watch for new Eyes On rotations every six months in the Logan Gallery and Fuse Box in the Hamilton Building’s fourth floor.

Xiaoze Xie, *Transience* (video still), 2011. Single-channel video with sound. Duration: 12 min. 32 sec. Courtesy of the artist and Chambers Fine Art. © Xiaoze Xie.

Xiaoze Xie, *Scrutiny (Ancient Books)* (detail), 2014, printed 2017. Archival inkjet prints, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Chambers Fine Art. © Xiaoze Xie.

Xiaoze Xie, *Chinese Library No. 57*, 2014. Oil paint on canvas; 48 x 74 ¼ in. Courtesy of the artist and Chambers Fine Art. © Xiaoze Xie.

Xiaoze Xie, *The Morgan Library and Museum (f138)*, 2017. Oil paint on canvas; 48 x 82 in. Collection of Jerry Neumann. © Xiaoze Xie.

Xiaoze Xie, *Tribhuvan University Library Rare Book Room*, 2016. Oil on linen, 36 x 72 in. Courtesy Chambers Fine Art. © Xiaoze Xie.

Xiaoze Xie, *Through Fire (Books that Survived the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance at Tsinghua University, No.1)*, 2017. Oil paint on linen; 48 x 74 in. Courtesy of the artist and Chambers Fine Art. © Xiaoze Xie.

Xiaoze Xie, *Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, University of Toronto No. 2*, 2016. Oil paint on linen; 36 x 52 in. Courtesy of the artist and Chambers Fine Art. © Xiaoze Xie.

Portrait of the artist Xiaoze Xie in China. Photo Courtesy of the artist. © Xiaoze Xie.

The Eyes On Series

Eyes On, a focused multi-year contemporary art series sponsored by Vicki and Kent Logan, showcases the work of contemporary artists who we believe should have broader exposure to our audiences.

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Eyes On: Xiaoze Xie is organized by the Denver Art Museum. It is presented with the generous support of Vicki and Kent Logan, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine, CBS4, Comcast Spotlight, and The Denver Post.