Nuremberg (Nürnberg)
March 22 - May 31, 2025
Press Release
8th Drawing Biennale: Su Xiaobai on Paper from the Museum DKM Collection
As part of the 8th Drawing Biennale in the Nuremberg (Nürnberg) Metropolitan Region, the Confucius-Institute Nuremberg-Erlangen e.V. presents a special selection of paper works by the internationally renowned artist Su Xiaobai in its art space. These works come from the collection of Museum DKM and offer a rare insight into the artist’s early creative period.
Su Xiaobai, born in 1949 in Wuhan, China, began his artistic training in 1965 at the School of Arts and Crafts in Wuhan and later continued his studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. A scholarship enabled him to move to Germany in 1987, where he became the first Chinese artist to study at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Konrad Klapheck. Influenced by Klapheck, Gerhard Richter, and Markus Lüpertz, he developed an independent visual language that led him from his socialist realist beginnings to abstraction. Today, his work merges elements of the Western avant-garde with traditions of Chinese philosophy and aesthetics. He lives and works in Shanghai and Düsseldorf.
Although Su Xiaobai is internationally known primarily for his abstract lacquer works, the exhibition at the Confucius-Institute’s art space focuses on his early, sometimes lesser-known works on paper. These pieces document his artistic development and provide insight into a phase of experimentation and exploration. The exhibition is complemented by letters and poetic texts that highlight the long-standing friendship between Su Xiaobai and his collector Karl-Hermann Klock.
In 2016, Duisburg-based art collector Karl-Hermann Klock bequeathed his extensive collection of Su Xiaobai’s works on paper to Museum DKM. A selection of these works will now be publicly displayed for the first time as a loan from Museum DKM within the framework of the 8th Drawing Biennale in Nuremberg.
Su Xiaobai’s works have been exhibited in leading galleries and museums worldwide, including the Tina Keng Gallery (Taipei), Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong), Langen Foundation (Neuss), and the Shanghai Art Museum. They have also been featured at major art fairs such as Art Basel, TEFAF Maastricht, ART Düsseldorf, Art Basel Hong Kong, and The Armory Show New York.
Curated by Ronald Kiwitt, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to discover the early work of an exceptional artist who continues to build a bridge between China and Germany.
8th Drawing Biennale: Su Xiaobai on Paper from the Museum DKM Collection
Exhibition Duration: March 22 – May 30, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, March 21, 2025, from 6 PM
The lenders from Museum DKM will be present.
Curator’s Tours:
Friday, April 11, at 6 PM
Wednesday, May 7, at 4 PM
Lecture:
Dr. Heinrich Geiger – Image & Word – Perspectives of East-Western Art
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 6 PM
Venue:
Art Space of the Confucius-Institute Nuremberg-Erlangen e.V.
Pirckheimerstraße 36, 90408 Nuremberg
Opening Hours: Wed – Sat, 1 PM – 6 PM
With friendly support
The Artist on His Friend/Collector
This exhibition is about the long term relationships between the artist Su Xiaobai and his German friend/collector Mr. Klock. This link to the article of "Mr. Klock" written by Su Xiaobai explains the passage they both enjoyed for decades.
Hong Kong
Opening: March 25, 2025
Hong Kong – Pearl Lam Galleries is delighted to present Niao Niao, a solo exhibition in collaboration with Su Xiaobai Foundation, showcasing the works of renowned artist Su Xiaobai and the exhibition opens on 25 March, 2025. This exhibition, coinciding with Art Basel Hong Kong, marks the gallery’s long-term focus on abstraction. Link to the press release here.