Galloping as Wind

The character Xiang in BEI Jiaxiang’s name originally signifies horses “raising head while galloping,” serving as a fitting metaphor for his artistic destiny. Having resided in Australia for over two decades, with Melbourne’s racecourse near his studio, this geographical affinity further ignited his obsession with the speed, resistance, and vitality inherent in horse racing. The horse-themed works that emerged from this influence have become the central motif throughout BEI’s artistic career, galloping across mediums between oil and ink, crafting a cross-cultural visual poetry.

In his series of oil paintings, BEI abandons the rigid conventions of academic realism, employing bold, expressive brushwork and contrasting colors to transform speed into palpable visual energy. Within the rough scraper marks and flowing layers of paint, he unleashes raw, primal vitality. This dynamic capture diverges from Degas’s elegant freeze-frame of horse racing moments, instead channeling the fervor of Expressionism—turning the racecourse into a battleground of force and beauty.

The Whipcrack

Oil On Canvas

41×53cm

If oil painting signifies an eruption of power, ink wash becomes a condensation of spirit. BEI reciprocates the textured depth of oil with the subtleties of ink, deconstructing form through abstract brushwork that marries Western Abstract Expressionism with the “unfinished” aesthetic rooted in Chinese literati painting. Furthermore, he infuses the flowing curves from Matisse’s Dance into ink, transforming bodily forms into shimmering illusions of light and color amidst the mist of raw xuan paper, achieving a historical reconciliation of traditional literati’s aloofness with Monet’s haziness within the dimension of ink.

BEI Jiaxiang’s horses are more than mere subjects; they embody technological innovation, philosophical practice, and cross-cultural spirits. Leaping from the dust of the racecourse into the void of ink and the fluidity of oil, they freeze in eternal motion at the confluence of Eastern and Western art—embodying force and beauty in perpetual motion. This is the BEI’s ode to life’s passion, as well as a modern pathway of writing Oriental charm in the Western way.