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Effective January 1: Masks are Optional in VisArts’ Classrooms and Studios
By Mark Jenkins
June 9, 2025
HALF CALLIGRAPHY AND HALF CERAMICS, XIAOSHENG BI’S “Confrontation. Compromise.” illustrates the sometimes uneasy balance between custom and improvisation. The China-born Maryland artist’s show at VisArts (where he maintains a studio) includes a dozen examples of delicate but brightly painted porcelain, including bowls, jars, and a teapot. Contrasting them are three exuberant examples of earth-toned stoneware, executed in a rough-edged style associated more often with Japan than China.
In Xiaosheng’s calligraphy, the tension is embodied within the same piece. He writes Chinese characters in brash black strokes that emphasize free gesture over received meaning. Connoisseurs may be able to read the script, but the only text-picture I find legible is “Shan Shui,” in which the paper is nearly covered by bold black forms. Beneath them in gray, and much smaller, are dozens of the hanzi (characters) for mountain (“shan”) or water (“shui”). These two characters are likely also the larger hanzi, although those are written too loosely to be deciphered assuredly.
Taken together, “shan” and “shui” comprise the Chinese term for traditional landscape painting. So “Shan Shui” can be seen as a landscape, rendered entirely with language rather than imagery. While Xiaosheng stretches hanzi to their limits, he respects their standard use.
Xiaosheng Bi:Â Confrontation. Compromise.
Through June 13 at VisArts’ Concourse Gallery, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. visartscenter.org. 301.315.8200.
Read in DisCerning Eye on Substack
