GAZES AVERTED
A Dialogue with Xue Ruozhe
FVTVRIST Magazine //​
June 18, 2025
FVTVRIST speaks with Beijing-based painter Xue Ruozhe, whose quietly compelling works resist straightforward narratives in favor of moments
suspended between recognition and distance. Their figures, often turned away from the viewer, occupy psychologically charged spaces, inviting reflection rather than resolution. With a background that spans both Chinese and British art education, Xue brings a considered, methodical approach to their work, drawing on a wide range of influences from cinema and literature to digital processes. In this exchange, we explore their technique in detail, their use of technology, and the philosophical undercurrents shaping his visual language. What emerges is a portrait of an artist deeply committed to observation, time, and the subtle complexities of human perception.
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Interview by Anna Somova//
Shift+Shift, 2025. Oil on linen, 90 × 70 × 2 cm
Courtesy of the artist.
Integrating negative space andambiguity within the framework of oil painting is a challenge I continually explore.
In many of your recent works, including The Umbrellas of HGZ (2024) and The Misplaced Studio (2024), your figures frequently appear with their backs turned to the viewer, evoking a profound sense of introspection and anonymity. Could you elaborate on your deliberate choice to avoid direct eye contact between your figures and the viewer? How does this influence the emotional resonance and interpretive openness of your paintings?
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In many cases, the presence of faces in my paintings is overpowering, disrupting the delicate feelings evoked by subtle gestures, colour arrangements, and other compositional elements. This reflects a Chinese interpretation of the world. In ink painting and calligraphy, the unpainted space is as important as the painted area, known as negative space. Together, they complete the work, offering the viewer a sense of psychological depth.
By contrast, in oil painting, leaving areas uncovered often conveys a feeling of incompleteness rather than intentional emptiness, of course, there are a few exceptions, like Cy Twombly. Things happening on the canvas has to be specific, no matter it is a figurative or abstract painting. Integrating negative space andambiguity within the framework of oil painting is a challenge I continually explore.
This approach comes from my personality too—I've always been shy. Even as a kid, before I learned the "rules"; of talking to people, I'd avoid looking directly at someone's eyes.
The Umbrellas of HGZ, 2024. Oil on linen, 200 × 170cm,
Courtesy of the artist
Your artistic practice intriguingly integrates advanced meth-ods alongside traditional painting techniques. Could you discuss precisely how technology plays a role in your creative workflow? Specifically, what digital tools or methods have sig- nificantly impacted your process, and how do these techno-logical elements conceptually and visually enhance your final art-works?
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I work with photography, it is a medium that evokes memory and mediates my encounter with the world. Through photography, I examine the relationship between painting and imagery, exploring how each informs the other. Working with photography has changed how I see time in art. It has also made me more aware of
materiality of painting, its physical presence and the act of painting.
At the same time, it provides a critical distance, allowing me to observe both my subjects and my paintings from within a world deeply immersed in images. While I use digital cameras and Photoshop in my process, I do not consider them tools that enhance the final artwork. Rather, they do facilitate certain technical aspects of the making.
The Keeper, 2022. Oil on linen, 30x25cm.
Courtesy of the artist
Your paintings exhibit meticulous detail, sophisticated layering, and carefully selected palettes. Could you guide us through your comprehensive artistic methodology—from your
initial inspirations, research, and conceptual sketches to your detailed studio practice and the final execution on canvas? Additionally, how long does it typically take for a painting to evolve from initial concept to completion? Could you describe a recent example of your painting process?
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My palette may surprise viewers with its scale—smaller than an A4 sheet—and its restrained range of colours. Through careful layering and technical complexity, I am able to transform this limited colour range into a rich visual language. This approach
connects to my broader engagement with negative space in painting, where what is implied often carries more weight than what is fully articulated. I keep my ideas on my sketchbook or Sketchbook Pro on iPad. When beginning a new painting, I reference these ideas before collaborating with a model in a dynamic photography session.
These shoots often generate unexpected possibilities, which I then refine digitally to visualize the final composition. For larger works, I would make an oil study to establish colour relationships and layering strategies. The transition to a life-size canvas inevitably demands adjustments in composition, as the shift in dimensions changes the work’s spatial dynamics.
Having studied in both China and the United Kingdom, your artistic journey spans culturally and philosophically distinct environments. How have these diverse educational experien-ces shaped your artistic language and thematic explorations? Are there specific philosophical or cultural ele-ments from each region that deeply influence your current artistic identity?
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My initial art education within China's system, including the Affiliated High School of Central Academy of Fine Arts and CAFA itself - focused intensely on technical mastery. During the first few years, I devoted myself to studying the techniques of my favourite painters, such as Degas, Ingres, Velázquez, Bonnard, Etc.
By my second year at CAFA, I recognized the limitation of this system: it merely teaches you how to paint figures right, and then assemble the figures onto a bigger canvas. It has nothing to do with making art. With this realization, I decided to change. I began experimenting with materials and concepts, culminating in works
like my "Virtual Life"; series (2012-2013), where I sought to put concepts into painted form.
My studies at the Royal College of Art were another turn. Worked within the context of contemporary art, I freed myself from concerns about appearing "contemporary";
and instead refocused on my interest in exploring the possibilities of painting. My practice is rooted in Taoist philosophy. Years of studying Chinese calligraphy taught me Taoism’s core lesson: everything exists in a relationship.
Grape II, 2024. Oil on linen, 40 × 25cm x2
Your paintings often explore profound themes of contemporary existence, identity, and societal complexity. Could you elaborate extensively on your deepest artistic inspirations, whether literary, philosophical, cinematic, or historical? How do these inspirations consciously shape the narratives and emotional landscapes of your work? Could you illustrate your response with examples from recent works such as Atlas of Rhapsody on the Luo River Godness (2024)?
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I drew my inspiration from the contemporary visual environment and art history, both Western and Eastern, I constantly look at and rethink the images and paintings. With a very much changed cultural context, we are looking at painting with different eyes. I would recontextualise the painting medium within a shifted context of identity, gender, and imagery..
The Rhapsody on the Luo River Godness is a classical Chinese literary masterpiece by Cao Zhi, has long captivated me with its mythic portrayal of an encounter between the poet and the divine. However, I don’t like its inherent binary dynamic - the hierarchical relationship between observer and observed, hunter and prey. In my series addressing this work, I changed this traditional narrative by transforming the poet figure into the goddess herself, creating a scene where the Luo River Godness gazes upon her own reflection.
Your work subtly yet powerfully critiques contemporary social conditions and interpersonal dynamics. Reflecting on your cultural heritage and personal identity, how do these elements
influence the broader philosophical questions embedded in your art? How do you see your practice contributing to or interacting with larger social or cultural dialogues?
I know my paintings sometimes touch on contemporary discourses, but I don’t see them as direct commentary on social issues. For me, painting is more about exploring the medium itself and its relationship with me.
My works are paintings about painting.
Though I work with oil painting—a tradition originating in the West, my use of paint, composition, and approach to subject matter remains deeply rooted in an Eastern vision of the world.
Looking ahead, could you provide insights into your upcoming artistic projects or planned series of works? Are there particular themes or concepts you aim to delve into more deeply?
Additionally, can you share details about any forthcoming exhibitions or collaborations?
I see painting as an organic process, allowing each work to grow on its own as I work, following its own logic and my vision. Rather than planning every detail out beforehand, I embrace a more intuitive way that leaves space for thinking and discovery during the making.
As time goes by, painting for me is more like a time-based medium, it is not only an image but an evidence of countless decisions that happened on the canvas. I want to ex-plore more on the time dimension of painting.
Please do stay tuned for upcoming projects.
Reflecting on the depth and complexity inherent in your artwork, what ultimate philosophical or emotional experience do you hope to communicate or provoke in viewers engaging intimately with your paintings?
I don't try to predict how people will react to my paintings, that feels impossible, and maybe even missing the point. The fact that different viewers see different things, especially across cultures, is actually part of what makes the work complete. I think of my paintings as starting conversations, not giving lectures. They drop hints rather than spell things out. This way, each person brings their own experiences and memories to the work, and that interaction is where the real meaning happens.
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