Artists

Shao Fan

Press release

White Cube presents the first UK exhibition of Beijing-based artist Shao Fan (also known as Yu Han, b. 1964), featuring his meticulously rendered ink-on-rice-paper paintings. Shao Fan's practice is informed by a deep engagement with traditional Chinese culture, whilst also referencing elements of Western art history. Mixing past with present, his ethereal works explore the interconnectedness of humanity and nature. Shao Fan's meticulous monochromatic ink-on-rice-paper paintings arise through an intense period of concentration and the slowing down of time. Drawing on the tenets of Taoist philosophy, in which humans and animals coexist in balance with the universe, his subjects range from depictions of hares, monkeys and whales to fruit and vegetables, all of which allude to historical Chinese customs and beliefs.