“The Wood Carver” by Longhua Xu, acrylic, 60×48, 2018.
ON THIS EXHIBIT:
“I have lived in Arkansas for 32 years, traveling to small towns, gardens, farmers markets and the countryside. These people are the backbone of America. They are not like people in magazines who have been modified to look the same. These paintings show the beauty of difference — the true image of Arkansas people.”
ARTIST BIO:
Born in Shanghai in 1954, Longhua Xu left China in 1989 during a period of political and economic unrest. In 1990, Xu settled in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where his wife Shunying Chen and their young son soon joined him. Over the next three decades, he won prestigious art commissions and acted as an important member of the Arkansas art community. In 2019, Xu was named an Arkansas Living Treasure.
See more of Xu’s work in the exhibit “Longhua Xu: The Soul of Arkansas” on display in the Cabe Gallery at the Historic Arkansas Museum through Oct. 16 and at xu-longhua.com.