“Crushed Coca-Cola Cans,” acrylic on canvas, from A Journey Exposed, 2014

“Becoming Rivers,” acrylic on canvas, from Becoming Rivers, 2010

“Crushed Cans,” “Cafeteria,” and “Bicycles,” acrylic on canvas, from Gu Xiong/Yang Shu, 2008

“Entwining Rivers,” acrylic on paper, from Red River, 2008 Visiting Chongqing in the summer of 2000, a friend invited me to a karaoke party at his home. The song “Red River Valley” caught my attention; this was my first time hearing it in twenty-five years. Through this song, the period of the Cultural Revolution re-emerged,[…]

“The Crowd,” a porcelain enamel mural, 6.5′ x 24′, at Safeco Field, home of the Seattle Mariners, commissioned by Public Facilities District, Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium, Seattle, Washington, United States of America, 1999

“Red Lands,” acrylic/watercolor on canvas, solo exhibition at A Space, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1997

“Here, There, Everywhere,” acrylic on plywood, from Here, There, Everywhere, 1995

“The Basement,” acrylic on canvas, solo-exhibition at Richmond Art Gallery, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, 1994 Installation Artwork included in the installation

“My Own Words,” acrylic on canvas in “Atropolis ’93,” at Woodwards Building, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 1993, collected by Vancouver Art Gallery

“Fantastic,” acrylic on canvas,from Gu Xiong/Yang Shu, 1992

“Crushed Cans,” acrylic on canvas, from Crushed Cans, 1992-93   Gu Xiong’s Crushed red Coca Cola Cans embodies the contrast of his Chinese heritage and the cultural transformation he experienced after moving to Canada, with the universally recognizable Cola cans showing both English and Chinese text. This installation speaks to the individual as part of[…]

“Heads of State,” acrylic on canvas, from Heads of State, 1992

“The Great Explosions,” oil on canvas, from The Great Explosions, 1990

“Enclosures,” acrylic on canvas, ink on paper, oil on canvas, from 1987 to 1989 When I break through the enclosures, I find that I am still in the enclosure. Because disturbance exists for humans, they make many enclosures for themselves. It becomes an emblem of their culture and an emblem of isolation and oppression. Facing[…]

For me, clouds and rivers are symbolic of freedom. They are soft but powerful, constantly changing in forms. Together, they constitute a perpetual cycle of evaporation and condensation. In the process, they travel from culture to culture, continent to continent, permeating the barriers between them. In this way, clouds and rivers allow me to redefine[…]