Faces from China

Ricefield Chinese Arts and Cultural Centre presents

Xiang Silou’s woodcuts
faces from china

From 4 to 28 October 2005
Workshop and demonstration: Wed 5 October

Come and see Xiang Silou’s first UK solo woodblock exhibition, a powerful and vigorous portrayal of the people in China.

Professor Xiang Silou is the recipient of many printmaking prizes in China and his art works have been collected by numerous museums and galleries.

Exhibition opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 5:00pm Closed Mondays, viewing on Sunday by appointment only.

Ricefield, 41 West Graham St (next to School of Art Barnes Building) Glasgow G4 9LJ t: 0141 331 1019 e: info(at)ricefield.co.uk

Xiang Silou is a professor at the Fine Arts Institute of Sichuan Normal University in Chengdu, Sichuan where he has done research into black-and-white woodblock printing as well as creating his own style of woodblock printing. Currently his art focuses on the complex contours of human faces, using an approach that also influences his landscape printing. His woodblock prints featuring human faces tend to be of a large scale, so that the exquisite craftsmanship brings forth even the minutest detail of every aspect of the face, from its wrinkles to its multiple expressions. His carving is skilful and vigorous, with rich shifting tones visible in each line and space. His skill, his vision and his powerful creativity is fully reflected in the subtle relationships between the black-and-white lines and the style of his knife-work.

Xiang Silou’s art is truly unique among the woodblock print art being created today. His landscapes appear to breathe the spirit of traditional Chinese silk painting, as if using multiple strokes to depict movement and image. The surfaces of his woodblock prints are delicate and expressive, and display an intensely Eastern sensibility.

Professor Xiang Silou’s work has been seen in one-man shows and group exhibitions in Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the U.S.A., England, Germany, Japan, Spain, and others places.

His woodblock prints have been collected by numerous museums and galleries as well as by private collectors.