Morono Kiang Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition Xu Ruotao: Pattern Recognition, a solo show by the midcareer Chinese artist. The exhibition will be on view from December 13, 2007 to February 2, 2008. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, December 13, from 5 to 9 PM, coinciding with the Downtown Art Walk.

The exhibition will include nine large-scale abstract paintings that reflect Xu Ruotao’s recent artistic practice. These primarily monochromatic paintings have subtle additions of contrasting pigments that heighten the illusion of spatial depth. By layering line after fine line, the artist creates a visual friction, and ultimately the process forms a complex pattern.

Lines are the most basic language of contemporary Chinese abstract art, and Xu Ruotao creates intense debate and dialogue around the idea of abstraction. He refuses to accept that these lines and patterns have any meaning—they are only part of an image, the result of impassivity by the artist. Amidst today's information overload, Xu Ruotao's paintings are essentially empty or deflated. The images often look beautiful, but the meaning is intensely cynical. Not only is the image abstract, but the meaning is also abstract. As curator Karen Smith wrote in Xu Ruotao’s 2007 exhibition catalogue Oxidation, “Abstraction is not an easy choice in China. . . . Xu Ruotao does not see himself as an abstract artist. Actually, he doesn't think of himself as any kind of artist in particular, which is a force of liberation that allows for experimentation without prejudice.”