The quietness that pervades Xie’s oeuvre is also noteworthy. In Narcissus (2020), the mythical figure has fallen asleep beside the pond in which he will eventually encounter his reflection. A strand of drool drips from his mouth and into the body of water, foreshadowing Narcissus’s fate of drowning. In the painting, Xie renders the pond’s ripples with long brushstrokes punctuated by white flecks of paint, reflections of the stars in the night sky. It’s easy to imagine the cadence of Narcissus’s steady breathing in concert with the sound of crickets and other nocturnal animals that exist beyond the picture plane.
This month, Xie will present new works in the group show “Mouthed Echoes” at Lyles & King, and exhibit in a solo presentation at artgenève, presented by French gallery Semiose. He is also a 2022 artist in residence at the Boghossian Foundation in Brussels.
—Isabelle Sakelaris
