Gao Xingjian

Gao Xingjian is a painter, writer and Director. He was born in Gangzhou China in 1940. He was drawn to art and literature at a young age. In 1962, he graduated from Institute of Modern languages in Beijing in French. For a while, he translated French authors like Eugène Ionesco in Mandarin. During the cultural revolution, he was forced to retreat for six years in the countryside, in a reformation camp. After Mao's death, he traveled to France and then Italy. Quickly, his written work and theater plays were censored by the Chinese communist party, who took it as an insult to the state and its dogmas. In 1987, Gao Xingjian was forced to leave China. He was granted political asylum in France and obtained the French nationality in 1988. In 1989, after the events at Place Tian'anmen,he left the Chinese communist party for good.

Gao Xingjian's graphic work is strongly influenced by his childhood memories. The depicted landscapes take turns between shady and partially lit areas. Faced with threatening darkness in China, in opposition to the clarity of hope.
He initially began with oil painting and carried this on until 1978, he then opted for Indian ink, giving up on colors and adopting black, with a palette offering several shades. Gao Xingjian uses traditional Chinese mediums such as rice paper or goat hairbrush, and combines these with Western techniques.

Gao Xingjian has been honored as knight in Arts and Literature since 1992. In 2000, he won the noble prize in literature.