Shen Xiaotong's solo exhibition, titled "Painting: Shen Xiaotong's Painting" captivated the audience in Shanghai in 2022. Held at the Long Museum (West Bund), the exhibition illustrated the artist's evolving creative concepts and stylistic changes, providing solace and inspiration to attendees. Following its success, the exhibition, curated by Wang Wei and featuring Lv Peng as the academic director and Lan Qingwei as the art curator, will continue its tour at the Long Museum (Chongqing) from June 3rd to August 6th, 2023. The Chongqing exhibition builds upon the Shanghai showcase, carefully selecting multiple series from 1990 to 2023, presenting over 40 groups of artworks.

If Shen Xiaotong's exhibition in Shanghai was a surprising debut, then the exhibition in Chongqing represents a more profound exploration. The exhibition comprehensively showcases Shen Xiaotong's works from the past decade, including series such as "Face","Landscape", "Flowers·Fruits" ,"Bamboo" ,"Sea·Fish" and "Interstate 5" series. A new series of paper-based ink paintings will be presented for the first time. In the fiery red backdrop of the “Face” series, the simple countenance seems to gradually emerge from the depths of time, evoking endless nostalgia for the past. The "Landscape" ,"Bamboo" and "Sea·Fish" series skillfully capture the ethereal beauty of mountains, bamboo forests, lakes, and seas, blurring the line between reality and imagination, light and darkness. In the "Flowers ·Fruits" series, mundane objects from everyday life are depicted with vibrant intensity or subdued ink strokes, reflecting the artist's heartfelt expression. "Interstate 5" portrays the landscapes encountered along the journey and the unforgettable moments of life. The newly introduced paper-based ink painting series is dynamic and promises viewers a unique visual and psychological experience. And several artworks from the 1990s allow us to glimpse the exploration direction of his early artistic career.

Shen Xiaotong, a graduate of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1989, has witnessed the evolution of Chinese contemporary art over the past few decades and the changes in the art market since 2000. Despite the complexities of both the domestic and international art scenes and the influence of Western art concepts, theories, and genres, Shen Xiaotong remained remarkably unaffected. He steadfastly focused on observing and depicting the real-life experiences surrounding him, expressing his inner world with an independent attitude.

Even in his large-scale works, Shen Xiaotong's paintings often depict everyday objects and scenes characterized by an ethereal and tranquil quality. In the post-pandemic era, intimate experiences and genuine emotional expressions derived from everyday life hold even greater value. These artworks could spiritually touch and comfort viewers, evoking fleeting moments of resonance. They serve as a reminder to discover the art and nurture oneself by appreciating the subtle details in daily life.

About the Artist 

Shen Xiaotong was born in 1968, Chengdu, Sichuan. He graduated from the Printmaking Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1989. He is now a professional painter, currently works and lives in Chengdu. 

His selected solo exhibitions include: Diary-My Landscape, International Yiyuan Art Museum, Beijing, 1994; Diary of Temptation, Gallery of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, 1997; Shen Xiaotong Solo Exhibition, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong, 2008; About the Water Cross the Sea, Chengdu Museum of Contemporary Art, Chengdu, 2013.

He had also participated multiple group shows in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, San Francisco, Paris, Bonn, etc. Southwestern China Modern Exhibition, Chengdu, 1988; The First of China Modern Art Exhibition, China Art Museum, 1989; The First Nineties Biennial Art Fair, Guangzhou, 1992; The Annual Exhibition of Works Nominated by Art Critics, China Art Museum, 1994; China!, Kunstmuseum, Bonn, 1996; Paris-Pékin, Paris, 2001; Pure Views—New Painting from China, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2011; Re-View — Opening Exhibition of Long Museum West Bund, Shanghai, 2014. The works of Shen Xiaotong have been known widely and  collected by a number of Public and private collections.