PRIMAL CHAOS: WORKS OF XU SHANXUN, 1970-2025 (Chinese title: Hongmeng) compiles artworks created by contemporary artist Xu Shanxun between 1970 and 2025, divided into three volumes: Essence in the Greatest Form, All Things As One, and Sketches of Xu Shanxun.
Xu Shanxun is a painter who keeps pace with the times and constantly seeks change. Before this, his painting underwent several transformations. Hongmeng is both the overall Chinese title of the three volumes and the name of his "Mindscape Painting" series, which is matured in 2023. His works are usually not completely separate, and there is overlap in time. He simultaneously created works on different themes and in different languages, advancing his innovation step by step through in-depth research and a steady, solid approach. Through brush, rice paper, and ink, using lines as the means of expression and employing various techniques such as ink wash, thick oil painting, and acrylic dripping, Xu integrates calligraphic lines into modern painting.
This book aims to showcase Xu's artistic development over 55 years and a clearly defined path of transformation, presenting a rich, diverse, and ever-changing art world—a surreal realm of cosmic vastness and primordial chaos.
Author Bibliography:
Xu Shanxun (born in December 1960) is a distinguished artist and professor of fine arts. He holds a degree from Northeast Normal University and is currently based in Shanghai.
Xu's artwork has been widely recognized, notably being selected for numerous national art exhibitions sponsored by China's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education.
His exhibition record includes participation in a range of significant domestic and international events, during 2016–2018: "Contemporary Line Research Exhibition" (Wenzhou), "Oriental Ink Painting Calligraphy Art Invitational Exhibition" (Hangzhou), "Xu Shanxun Modern Ink Painting Exhibition" (Beijing), and "Oneness of All Things Exhibition" (Europe). Demonstrating his commitment to academic rigor in the arts, Xu has held several key peer-review positions, during 2019–2024: reviewer for the Art Fund of the Ministry of Education; expert reviewer for dissertations submitted to the Degree Centre at Ministry of Education.
