MARK.XU

Artist Statement

I usually begin with an idea rather than a material. Most ideas come from something I encounter in everyday life—an event, a system, or a situation that feels strange, contradictory, or difficult to accept. Before making a work, I try to understand why it exists in that way. Once I have my own position, I look for the clearest way to communicate it.

I don’t believe meanings are fixed. Objects only become meaningful because people give them meaning. That is why I am interested in working with existing objects and familiar systems. Instead of inventing something completely new, I often reposition what already exists, allowing it to be read differently through context, placement, and association.

I don’t see making as a search for answers. By the time I begin a work, I usually know what I want to say. The process is about finding the most accurate form for an idea. Installation is one way of doing this because it allows different materials, images, and situations to exist together, but the medium is always chosen to serve the idea, never the other way around.

I don’t expect viewers to reach the same conclusion as I do. What matters to me is that the work is accessible enough for someone to enter it. From there, everyone is free to build their own understanding.

My practice continues to change. As I gain more experience, my ways of thinking and making will inevitably evolve. Rather than searching for fixed definitions, I remain interested in questioning how meanings are formed, how systems shape our understanding, and how ordinary things can be seen differently when placed in a new relationship.

EXHIBITIONS

• SPG Exhibition
Group Exhibition, University of the Arts London, Southwark Park Galleries, London, UK | 2026

• Tokyo Open Art & Art on Loop
Group Exhibition, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan | 2025

• Copeland Exhibition
Group Exhibition, Unit 08, Copeland Park, 133 Copeland Road, London, UK | 2025

• Pop-up Show
Group Exhibition, University of the Arts London, London, UK | 2024

• Winter Show
Group Exhibition, Camberwell College of Arts, London, UK | 2023

• Collaborative Exhibition
Group Exhibition, CSM Museum & Study Collection, London, UK | 2023