Oil on canvas

120×120 cm. 47 1/4×47 1/4 in.

Signed in Pinyin and dated on the reverse
PROVENANCE
Gallery Rosenfeld, London
Acquired directly by present private Asian collector from the above

The Visual Enigma of Multiple Dimensions
Xue Ruozhe's Theory of Creation

Born in 1987 in Xuzhou, Xue Ruozhe graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. During his studies, he participated in an exchange program at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in Germany and won several awards, including excellence in work and national scholarships. In 2013, he continued his education at the Royal College of Art in the UK, earning a master's degree two years later and receiving honors like the Neville Burston Prize and the Gordon Luton Prize for Fine Art. In 2022, he was shortlisted for the Sovereign Asian Art Prize. Xue Ruozhe is recognized for his clean, sharp, and suspenseful portraits. His works often place figures in different angles or perspectives, exploring subtle variations across multiple timelines. He invites viewers to interpret the inner thoughts of his characters through their body language and appearance, sparking reflections on the relationship between life and time. As a rising artist, his works have been exhibited at prestigious venues such as Tate Modern in London, Wuhan Art Museum, and Art Museum at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, gaining significant attention.

Questioning the Reality of Existence

This Is Not a Hand, created by Xue Ruozhe in 2022, shows a woman deeply focused on painting. The scene is straightforward but carries a sense of tension. The artist uses a light gray background with a marble-like texture, which becomes the woman's canvas. She wears a loose brown sweater and uses her right hand to sketch her left hand. To her right, however, there's another left hand, positioned at the same angle but appearing to float in space. This second hand is darker, more tense, and even more lifelike, creating a strong visual impact.

The piece is reminiscent of René Magritte's famous work This Is Not a Pipe, as it explores the relationship between art and reality, challenging how we see things. The woman in the painting seems to represent the artist himself, with Xue Ruozhe inviting viewers to think about both the process of "drawing" and the finished "picture." As he says, "Reality exists in the gaps of painting."

Price estimate:
HKD 90,000 – 150,000
USD 11,500 – 19,200

Auction Result:
HKD: 144,000