The Sutra of the Benevolent King goes, “One snap of a finger equals 60 ksana, and one ksana equals 900 births and deaths.” People often mistake this statement as defining the ksana as one of the smallest measures of time. The truth is that ksana is used to describe the relativity of time: even the most insignificant of time could contain a universe of its own. To the artist couple, Xu Hong and Qin Ai, who are based in Nanjing, the ksana is their way to make sense of their worlds, including their exchanges of love, their family life, and their artistic pursuit. In these ksanas, they have condensed immeasurable emotions. From their respective mediums, they venture to understand the relationships between ksana and universe, and between the constant flow of time and permanence. 

In Xu Hong’s ksana – his temporal universe, all images come to live, allowing him to attain a sense of full control, and to travel freely between concrete and abstract, between lines, between light and shadows, between the signifier and the signified, and between empty scenes and crowdedness. Starting from 2009, Xu Hong’s attention has gradually turned to the interior scene. The tables and chairs, home furnishings, and various still lives all embody intense emotions and shades of personal style. The artist does not care for “What is this?” or “What does this look like,” but rather allows his brush to wander as it is driven by his emotions, thereby creating a lucid personal touch that is melancholy yet serene. Behind the mixture of various oil paints, he masks the strong surge of emotions. Visually, Xu Hong is able to create a strong sense of déjà vu and unfamiliarity, thereby achieving the purpose of intensifying our emotional reactions. 

——Curator Gary Xu