10 Questions with Gao Xue'er

Xue'er Gao (she/her) is a graduate of the MFA book art and printmaking program at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, and a BFA in studio art printmaking at James Madison University. Also, she works as a freelance visual artist and photographer.

Gao's work is grounded in her background in studio art, particularly in book, printmaking, and papermaking, where she learned and practiced various techniques, later combining them in multiple editions. She has also honed her photography skills, film and digital, and combined them with her practice. She has spent significant time studying traditional Chinese crafts and culture, observing nature, and paying attention to her surroundings.

"Art is all about experimentation, and I believe that there are no limits to what you can create if you have the courage to try."

www.gaoxueer.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

“My studio practice is all about exploration and experimentation. I create stunning artist books, prints, installations, and 3-dimensional forms using papermaking techniques that transform the patterns of Chinese culture into vibrant, colorful visual poetry. Drawing inspiration from the magical world around me, my art is infused with a sense of wonder and whimsy that captures the essence of artistic vision. And in my artistic creation and learning, I am curious about different materials. Each material has its own characteristics, and I hope I can understand them fundamentally and communicate with them.

X-Lab: X-Lab is my state of the art. Experiment with these arts and crafts in my lab.”

— Gao Xue'er

INTERVIEW

First off, introduce yourself to our readers. Who are you , and how did you first get interested in printmaking and visual arts in general?

My name is Xueer Gao. I come from Anhui, China, and am a visual artist. I am obsessed with understanding images and objects. I was fortunate to have a systematic understanding of visual art in college, Printmaking, and other media. Each medium has its unique charm. The traditional techniques of printmaking and the evolution of printing allowed me to see the fundamentals of production.

How did you develop into the artist you are today? What training or educational background helped you pursue this career?

The people and events I encounter at every stage of my life are indispensable experiences. However, during my school days, using the various media studios had the most impact on me. I feel that art is about expressing oneself and experience. During production, you can operate by yourself, touch the raw materials and machines, and you can better understand every subtle difference. For example, when I am making paper,  the mixing time, even just changing 5 minutes, will make a difference in the paper produced.

How do you integrate your diverse skill set, including book art, printmaking, papermaking, and photography, into your artistic practice? Do you find that these disciplines inform and complement each other in your work?

I feel these technologies are all related to each other. There is paper in books; printmaking uses paper, and photography is also the way we retain information; in photography, non-silver, indigo dyeing, and other processes are also part of printmaking. These are what I have discovered in my practice. Technologies are related and interactive. But if you don'tunderstand these technologies, you won't feel that they are connected. So I think I understand. There is always something new to learn and observe from the perspective of other technologies at the same time.

Your artist statement mentions drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese crafts and culture, nature, and yoursurroundings. How do these influences manifest in your artwork, both thematically and visually?

There is an old saying that a person should not forget their roots. I think traditional Chinese culture and craftsmanship are what I need to understand as a Chinese. But what I find most interesting is that after learning about the craftsmanship and history of various cultures, I discovered that among human beings there are similarities; even in different regions, there will be similar crafts and culture. In my art practice, I find these are closely related to nature and the environment. I often use random elements in my works and methods, randomly use the traditional crafts I have learned, match random patterns, colors, and even materials, and then combine the two. Not every time you can make something interesting. But the process of all this, and the diameter position The works are the result of challenges time and time again.

On that note, can you elaborate on your creative process when working on a new project? How do you approach experimentation and exploration in your studio practice?

Every time I start a new project, I give myself a short period to stop making things. Instead, I choose to go out for a walk, contact people and nature, and look back at classic works of art. During this uncertainty of contact, I will have some questions, and these questions often become the starting point for me to start new projects. For example, the work "Indefinite - 2024" is a book with triangular page binding layers. This work is made from a piece starting from the layer cake; the book is a layer the same size stacked together, so if I make a triangle stacked or make different stacked. I want to see the same, different, or certain regular repeating arrangements and how they can play with traditional ones.   
In visual art, I often separate the two words "Shi" and "Jue". In Chinese, "Shi" means Visual, and "Jue" means feeling. So in my studio practice, every piece of work is not only done visually, I also consider other aspects of feeling, and how people's five senses are affected. And this is why most of my works can be touched.

Your work often incorporates vibrant colors and intricate patterns. Could you discuss the role of color and pattern in your artistic expression? How do you select and manipulate these elements to convey specific themes or emotions?

Colors contain feelings. Among the traditional Chinese colors, they are the colors of objects we see every day. For example, there is a yellow in this color spectrum called maltose yellow; this is the memories and experiences from childhood. I think this is very romantic and reflects what we see in traditional colors. I think the same goes for patterns.Many of my patterns are based on window grilles and Chinese architecture. These elements are the ones that control me. Being attracted and guided by the elements makes it feel like I am interacting with that person at that time. A conversation between people of the era.

Your artist statement mentions a fascination with different materials and their characteristics. How do you experiment with different materials, and how does this contribute to your artwork's conceptual and aesthetic dimensions?

I think that as a visual artist and producer, you need more time to observe and perceive. Different materials and their owncharacteristics are just like the differences between people. You need to take the initiative to understand before you can find out who it is. In fact, there is nothing to try; it is actually to satisfy your most basic curiosity.

As a freelance visual artist and photographer, how do you balance commissioned work with personal artistic projects? Does your freelance work influence your studio practice in any particular way?

In the beginning, photography was just a way of expression in my visual art. I used photography to record my works and processes. By chance, I came into contact with a photography commission because I really liked the life in my works. I have a sense of recording, and this allowed me to discover a different way of understanding. I am very happy that many photography opportunities allow me to create in the form of visual art with a theme, and I will produce works of art as part of it. I feel that through my practice, more people have learned about my artistic style. At the same time, the questions and suggestions from others about my work are an important part of my growth.

Are there any ongoing or upcoming projects that you're particularly excited about? What themes or concepts are you exploring in these new endeavors?

Yes, there is one in the planning stage.  This plan actually came about in the middle of last year, and now it finally has a basic prototype.   The starting point of this project is that I believe that "people cannot fully understand each other." I personally have always felt that language expression is an imperfect way of communication, so in every sentence and vocabulary we speak, these meanings Understanding is all opportunities our personal experience understanding.   Everyone's happiness is different.  In the project, I invited different people to read the same text material, and they would use different markers to mark words and content they did not understand.  I'm excited to see how different the same content will appear and maybe the same page.  Ultimately, I want to present it in the form of flat printing. I also hope to have an offline communication space and use offset printing (seal) to interact with the public.
I think this is a new challenge for me because, in this project, people account for a large proportion. So far, the relationship between materials and myself has occupied a major position. I pay more attention to sharing the materials, processes, and people using them. When learning craftsmanship, there are many details that cannot be described in spoken words. Many traditional Chinese craftsmen describe this in detail using their hands and experience. Although I know that communication will have different degrees of error due to the way of understanding and how big this error will be, I hope that this project can be presented to the audience in the form of visual art.

Looking ahead, what are your main goals, both personally and professionally? 

Taking a long-term view, I want to become a contention, letting more traditional crafts art have the opportunity to be seen by more people. At the same time, I hope to make more progress in my project "Philosophical: People with People". Thisis probably the longest project at this stage because I personally cannot complete it, so I still feel a little uneasy. I have been fortunate enough to be exposed to art education since the year before last. This is a new challenge for me.
In traditional Chinese crafts and culture, I think it can serve as a bridge. So far, I have visited many seniors who have devoted their lives to this craft, and the problem of inheritance because the time-consuming cost of craftsmanship is a reality that must be faced. At the same time, I discovered that many technologies can only be completed manually. Therefore, I hope that in the future, the learning and derivation of traditional crafts can find the boundary between place and opinion. I think in this fast-paced era, these are more important areas of link. People and people, people and things. 
Because art is a very selfish way of revealing oneself, I should encounter more interesting people and things in the future, and these will be the most important food in my art production.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.