Beijing Commune is proud to announce the opening of Hu Xiaoyuan’s second solo show at the gallery--No Fruit at the Root. The show begins on Oct. 20th and will last till Jan. 28, 2013.

The show, titled No Fruit at the Root, presents the latest works by Hu Xiaoyuan. It is composed by three piece:No Fruit at the Root, which is a new extension of the artist “Wood” series, The Drown Dust, a three channel video work, and See, a video installation work. The visual presentation of the three works looks very restrained or even purposely reduced to a very minimalized state. One can feel the enduring struggle of an individual against the hardship hidden in the seeming understated presentation.

No Fruit at the Root(2012) is composed of nine “wood” pieces. The method of making the “wood” is the same: the artist traced, on silk, the lines and the grains of the part of the wood surface beneath with traditional Chinese ink. The silk was taken off after the tracing was finished. That part of the wood surface then was paint white. After the paint totally dried, the artist mounted the traced silk back onto the traced surface. The difference lies with the choice of the wood. In fact, this collective are all made of abandoned wood parts which have totally lost their “function” in everyday life. Taken from various wooden tools, the form of these pieces look bizarre and confusing. An intriguing intension is created between the grotesque appearance of these wood items and the artist’s self-disciplined, meticulous tracing process on their surfaces.