Feng Xiao-Min, Inner Horizons

Opera Gallery Singapore is pleased to present ‘Inner Horizons’, a new solo exhibition by Paris-based artist Feng Xiao-Min. Expanding on his ongoing visual exploration of light and landscape,‘Inner Horizons’ invites viewers on a contemplative journey where horizons dissolve, opening pathways between the real and the imagined.

Between East and West

Feng’s artistic language continues to merge Eastern philosophy with Western abstraction. Like the legendary Qing Dynasty painter Shitao (1642–1707), Feng approaches painting and calligraphy as “two branches from the same root.” Embodying a balance between tradition and modernity, Feng draws upon a wide spectrum of influences, from Chu Teh-Chun to J.M.W. Turner to Zao Wou-Ki.

The Language of Light

In Composition Nº6.8.25 (2025), Feng explores the tension between darkness and light. A central beam of white paint pierces the canvas, flanked by vertical bands of midnight blue and a foreground that evokes reflected ocean light. Alternatively, Composition Nº8.2.25 (2025) is comprised of a luminous haze of ochres, yellows, and greens that melt seamlessly into one another.

Beyond the Horizon

In his landscapes, the horizon—ever-shifting, elusive—emerges as a central motif, symbolising both the external world and the internal realm of thought and emotion. For Feng, painting is an emotional and sensory experience intrinsically tied to the surrounding environment.

“I observe nature at different times of the day and use variations in colour to express my own sensations. Light, for me, has a duality—it represents both hope and anxiety.”

— Feng Xiao-Min

Playing with contrasts between celestial light and dark fog, Feng seeks to evoke what he calls a “natural serenity of the mind.” Grounded in a dialogue with nature yet transcending geography, his work has evolved into a visual language that feels at once timeless and contemporary.

Painting as Meditation

Painting, for Feng, is also a meditative act—an attempt to reach the inner space and to offer it as a shared moment of stillness. In an age defined by relentless movement and information, ‘Inner Horizons’ provides a visual catharsis, inviting viewers to pause and reflect.

Feng's compositions remind us that horizons are not limits but thresholds—openings toward new ways of seeing and being. Even in an ever-changing world, Feng’s work reveals serenity through self-reflection and a deep reverence for the natural world.