The Su Xiaobai Foundation and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art presented Alchemical Universe at the 15th-century Palazzo Soranzo Van Axel in Cannaregio as a collateral event of the 61st Venice Biennale. Curated by Stephen Little the LACMA curator of Asian art and designed by architect Kulapat Yantrasast the exhibition runs daily except Tuesdays from 10am to 6pm through November 22 2026. It traces the artist’s development with the medium through works ranging from his first lacquer experiments in 2003 to pieces created specifically for the Venetian palazzo.
Born in Wuhan in 1949 Su Xiaobai trained at the School of Arts and Crafts in Wuhan the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf according to a biography on the Su Xiaobai Foundation website. He initially focused on Socialist Realist figuration before shifting toward abstraction and traditional materials. The artist maintains studios in both Shanghai and Düsseldorf where he continues to refine his distinctive approach.
Su Xiaobai turned exclusively to natural lacquer after a 2003 conversation with Gerhard Richter who advised him to abandon oil paints The Art Newspaper reported. He spent time in Fujian province a center of lacquer production since the Song Dynasty and began applying the sap from the Toxicodendron vernicifluum tree in layers mixed with pigments mineral powders and organic substances. The slow-drying process which can involve up to 20 applications on wooden supports produces dense sculptural surfaces that explore depth and transformation according to exhibition materials from Pearl Lam Projects.
The installation includes a room filled with suspended square forms resembling lacquered temple tiles in deep maroon that hang like a forest. Other spaces feature works placed on the floor above a sea of mirrored Murano glass alongside small monochrome pieces in blacks and greys that recall classical Chinese ink paintings The Art Newspaper described. Larger compositions display color that appears to etch into the lacquer rather than rest on its surface creating both physical and contemplative presence.
Pearl Lam founder of Pearl Lam Galleries said in a statement issued through her gallery “Having worked with Su Xiaobai for over a decade it is a pleasure to see his work recognised in this context. Alchemical Universe reflects an important moment in his ongoing practice.” Michael Govan CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director of LACMA added “Combining Chinese tradition with European experimentation Su Xiaobai’s work investigates the possibilities of lacquer turning it into layered tactile works that explore and reveal depth materiality and transformation.”
The Su Xiaobai Foundation established in 2024 aims to preserve the artist’s archives and promote initiatives focused on repurposing traditional materials according to its website. This includes plans for a symposium in the United States on contemporary artists working with historical techniques. The exhibition marks the first collateral presentation at the Venice Biennale for the now 77-year-old artist despite his repeated visits to the city over the years.
