10 Questions with Buer Guo

Buer Guo is a contemporary Chinese artist whose practice explores universal values through a deeply personal lens shaped by mythology, philosophy, and cross-cultural experience. She holds a BA from South China University of Technology (2012), an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute (2015), and a Ph.D. from the City University of Macau (2023).

Influenced by traditional Chinese texts such as Tales of the Six Ancestors and the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Guo’s work is rooted in pantheistic thought, where all beings and objects—whether human, animal, or inanimate—are interconnected and possess spiritual vitality. Her paintings question the limits of human perception and imagination, aiming to expand the viewer’s sensory awareness and relationship with the world.

Guo has exhibited internationally, with her work featured in the “Edge Effect” exhibition in San Francisco (2015), “Between Buildings” in Macao (2022), and “New Horizons—Great Bay Area Young Artists Exhibition,” where she received the Outstanding Works Award (2022). Her solo exhibition was held in Zhuhai in 2020, and her early work Running Dogs was acquired by the Contemporary Art Space of South China University of Technology in 2012.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Artist Buer Guo's "Pop-Ink" series reconstructs the gene of traditional ink art with bold visual experiments, juxtaposes the freehand spirit of Eastern brushstrokes with the consumption symbols of Western Pop art, and forms cultural dialogue across time and space.

Her artworks use acrylic to simulate the fluidity of ink painting, but instead of implicit of rice paper, it adopts high-saturation industrial pigments. The "burnt, thick, heavy, light, and clear" ink colour is regarded as the visual gene symbol of oriental ink art. The combination of tradition and modernity gives the work a fascinating visual impact, creating a visual experience that is both bright and thought-provoking for the viewer.

By deconstructing tradition and embracing popularity, the artist endows ink painting with the criticality and entertainment of contemporary society. This style not only continues pop art's teasing of popular culture but also constructs a new aesthetic paradigm in the context of globalization through the Oriental gene of ink painting, becoming a visual bridge between the past and the future, the local and the world.

Rabbit and Tomato, Acrylic on canvas, 70x120 cm, 2024 © Buer Guo

INTERVIEW

First of all, tell us a little more about your background. How did you begin making art?

I come from a family of artists and have been influenced by them since childhood. I remember my grandma once said that when I was a child, I could draw dozens of different little monkeys in just ten minutes. Therefore, I have always loved drawing since I was a child. This is the spiritual impetus that has supported me to keep studying art and engaging in work related to the art field since I became an adult. I truly began my artistic creation during my study abroad in the United States. During that period, I came into contact with many contemporary artists who were very thoughtful and influential. Some of them were my teachers, and some I met at art exhibitions. This had a profound impact on me. It was also during that time that I developed a strong interest in contemporary art and began to create my own artworks.

Flower, Acrylic on canvas, 50×50 cm, 2025 © Buer Guo

What drew you to art making, and how does it help you communicate with the world?

I believe that the essence of art is philosophy, which is generated by artists in the process of understanding and experiencing the world. It is the visible or perceptible matter formed through personal expression of the five senses that are invisible or difficult to describe. This process is very wonderful and cannot be replaced by other activities for me. This feeling that attracts and prompts me to engage in artistic creation. The process of artistic creation is the way I communicate with the world. My works are both abstract and concrete. Different viewers have different feelings. My artworks are like the clouds in the sky, like the textures of plants, and like the water splashes spreading in the water. These phenomena are wonderful and indescribable. And these feelings become concrete based on the viewers' eyes and experiences. This is also the way I communicate with the viewers.

Is there a piece you consider a "breakthrough" in your career?

I think my work has undergone some changes at every stage of my life. These changes are mainly based on the changes inmy feelings and cognition of the world around me. It's hard for me to say that certain work is the breakthrough point of my creation because I believe their changes are a subtle process. Perhaps in the future, as my life experience grows and I grow older, my work will still present changes at different stages.

How would you describe your style in a few words?

Contemporary, Oriental, Pop-ink, Calligraphy, Graffiti

Hedgehog, Acrylic on canvas, 50×50 cm, 2025 © Buer Guo

Tiger, Acrylic on canvas, 50×50 cm, 2025 © Buer Guo

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What aspect of your work do you pay particular attention to?

My works do not depict specific scenes, So I need more impromptu inspiration in the early stage of painting. These inspirations are very important. If I have to say which aspects of the work I care about more, I think I pay great attention to whether the final completed work records the initial feeling. If the initial feeling can be recorded and retained, I will be more satisfied with this work.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

My creative inspiration is almost obtained from nature. As I mentioned before, they can be the clouds in the sky, the waves in the sea, the textures of plants, and so on. Amazingly, I can always see some interesting pictures in them. At this time, I will immediately record them in the form of sketches as creative materials. I have a material book in which many interesting and fleeting pictures are recorded. Inspire my artistic creation.

Okay, Acrylic on canvas, 50×50 cm, 2025 © Buer Guo

What themes or ideas do you explore most often in your work?

Most of my works are abstract patterns, and the themes of these patterns are mostly plants or animals. Of course, different viewers may have different opinions. These themes combine the styles of Chinese calligraphy, ink wash painting and graffiti painting.

There's a lot of painting work on the market these days. How do you differentiate yours from the rest? What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?

I think everyone's work can be regarded as unique. Of course, mine is no exception. However, among numerous painting artworks, mine is unattempted in terms of technique, style, content, and other aspects, and it also has a clear personal style. This uniqueness stems from my growth and learning experiences, as well as my personal understanding of religion, nature, society, etc. My paintings materialize my thoughts, and they are a unique art form belonging to me personally.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future? Anything exciting you can tell us about?

At present, I am still trying to create more paintings, hoping to generate new thoughts in the constantly evolving works.Moreover, I hope to attempt to break these ideas out of the two-dimensional space and turn them into large-scale 3D installations with interactive functions. They are both artworks and entertainment facilities which can meet the artistic experiences of different audiences. These are some of my thoughts on future creation.

What do you wish to accomplish this year, both in terms of career goals and personal life?

I hope I can create more works this year and let more people see my works. Meanwhile, I also hope that I can make progress, whether in academia or in artistic creation. Besides, I hope to meet more influential artworks and interesting artists.

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.

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