Mapping a blazing talent

Xiang says there are two ways to learn art－one is to "learn from our seniors" and the other is to learn from nature.

The series Map, as a result of the latter, was inspired by his visit to the Grand Canyon in the United States in 2018, where he got to know the characteristic landscapes and local culture.

The series is the first chapter of an ongoing project started in 2018, which focuses on art expression on paper. The project was initially inspired by a traditional hand-dyeing technique, which is an interesting process of tying parts of a fabric to control the range and effect of dye on cloth.

"The unending changes during the process and its various potential outcomes fascinate me," he says.

In the second part of the project, Xiang has pulled paper apart and cobbled them together in an order to suit his mood and feelings, and for the third, he will overlay paper.