From November 7 to 17, 2025, the solo exhibition “Roots and Metamorphosis” will be held in Torre a Mare, Bari, and from December 5 to 7, “Blessing by Han Chi” will take place in Midtown Houston.
Imagine stepping across the threshold of a Chinese temple. First, you must pass under an arch that marks the entrance, then follow a path that, through a series of ascents, leads to a first staircase, then to a second, from which you begin to glimpse the sacred building. Next, you climb a grand staircase and find yourself on a vast terrace where the temple reveals itself in all its magnificence. Crossing the courtyard, you reach the main staircase, and only then can you enter the sacred rooms. Only after completing an initiatory journey is it possible to step into the holy place. The mystery of the sacred, with its many layers of symbolism, defines the work of the Chinese-born artist Maxine Xu, who owes much to her homeland, to which she remains deeply connected.
Born in Beijing into an educated family, she began studying Chinese calligraphy at the age of eight. The Chinese alphabet consists of highly complex characters that are difficult to master and so elegant that they are works of art in themselves. They are drawn with a brush on Xuan or rice paper (宣纸), just as one paints. Thus, Chinese calligraphy becomes the foundation for painting. From childhood, Maxine developed a solid manual and cultural base, which she built upon by the age of ten, transitioning naturally into brush painting. The brush, already familiar in her hands, responded to her mastery, supported by rigorous technique and a creative temperament nourished by the traditions of her native land.
In 1997, she moved permanently to the United States, continuing her studies at Oklahoma City University, where she earned her master’s degree in 1999. Having received an American education, her works beautifully merge East and West—symbolism and realism, ancient Chinese painting techniques with their delicate pigments, and the vivid acrylic colors characteristic of contemporary Western art.
Maxine’s muse and spiritual guide was her beloved grandmother. After her passing, Maxine began painting with great fervor and intensity in her memory. Aware of life’s brevity and its wondrous mystery, Maxine seeks through her art to spread beauty, wonder, love, and divine blessing to all hearts open to receive them. She confided to me with great enthusiasm, and in her Art Statement she declares:
“For me, art is more than an image: it is experience, emotion, and connection. The relationship between the artist and the viewer is one of the most mysterious and powerful bonds. Without words, a silent dialogue emerges that reveals passion, memory, and meaning. I paint to create a connection, offering beauty, imagination, and emotion to anyone willing to perceive them. There is no right or wrong way to experience art—only the power of the bond it creates. That bond is everything.”
We might say it is the strength of her relationship with the world that gives her the power to offer a profound and beautiful vision—a prophecy of goodness—and in return, she receives the energy to continue her work, forming a network of intersecting rays of human light that meet and shine ever more brightly.
Maxine paints flowers, fruits, and birds, full of beauty and rich in symbols of prosperity rooted in ancient Chinese culture, harmoniously blending traditional aesthetics with a modern approach. Her works often feature motifs seen on rare and precious Chinese vases, ancient door knockers, and Tang Sancai—three-colored ceramics from the Tang dynasty (8th–10th century CE), which unified China and fostered the flourishing of the arts.
The artist has a particular fondness for the archaic mythological creature Han Chi (汉螭龙), often depicted in jade sculptures buried underground for millennia. Maxine paints these magical beings and calls them Han Chi. “Han” refers to the Han dynasty of about 2,200 years ago, while “Chi” is a dragon—specifically the second of the nine dragon’s sons (龙九子，螭吻居其二). The Chi has the form of a four-legged reptile with a long tail. The Han Chi, known in the West as the “dragon,” is a legendary serpentine creature believed to possess an immortal spirit. It is laden with symbolic meanings tied to prosperity, good fortune, happiness, and completeness. The jade Han Chi artifacts unearthed by archaeologists attest to its powerful and timeless spiritual essence. The Han Chi is a central and recurring subject in Maxine’s work—she celebrates this ancient creature of good omen, translating its potent symbolism of prosperity and good fortune onto contemporary canvases.
The exhibition “Roots and Metamorphosis” (November 7–17, 2025) will be held in the picturesque Torre Pelosa in Torre a Mare, Bari. This solo show will present paintings that integrate the Han Chi with auspicious flowers and fruits, drawn from her series “Eternal Love,” “Unconditional Love,” “Triple Effect,” and “Flower Vase with Lucky Peaches.” Among the fruits, grapes and peaches are recurring motifs.
Take, for example, “Lucky Peaches Flower Vase” (2025). In Chinese tradition, the peach symbolizes vitality, longevity, and good fortune. Their soft pink hue and rounded form evoke abundance and renewal, while their placement in the vase transforms the composition into a vessel of blessings. The vase itself, painted in delicate blue tones and accented with golden lines, serves as a guardian of harmony—delicate yet strong, protective yet open. The blues and wine that frame it create a fluid background suggesting the shifting energies of life that protect and nurture what is precious. This work emphasizes the importance of preserving what sustains us. The peaches become more than fruit—they are a promise of lasting fortune and a reminder of life’s richness when we take time to see it. The painting recalls the famous Qing dynasty porcelain “Globe Vase with Nine Peaches” from the Qianlong period, one of the most elegant works in Chinese ceramic history. “Lucky Peaches Flower Vase” captures the timeless spirit of ancient stories through contemporary technique, reaching directly into the heart of today’s viewer.
Love is another recurring theme in Maxine’s art, in all its many forms. The painting “Eternal Love” (2025) was inspired by a jade pendant shaped like a chicken heart from the Han dynasty and represents the unbreakable bond between two soulmates. The artist used traditional Chinese pigments for the jade form and bright acrylics to highlight the contrasting outer edge. The painting is designed to attract positive energy to those who view it, radiating a kind of magic.
“Unconditional Love” (2025) expresses the radiant power of love in its purest form—limitless, generous, and transformative. At the center, intricate golden and blue patterns form a circular embrace, symbolizing the eternal cycle of compassion and connection. Around this center, vibrant blue, black and light pink extend outward like waves of energy, evoking how love radiates beyond the self to touch everything it meets. The organic textures and fluid colors reflect the spontaneity and freedom of love, unbound by condition or expectation. Just as the colors merge into one another, unconditional love dissolves boundaries, weaving differences into harmony. This work is both a visual meditation and an offering—a reminder that unconditional love is both a gift we receive and a light we can return infinitely.
“Triple Effect” (2025) is inspired by a translucent yellow jade ring featuring three Kui dragons—one-legged dragons—now housed in the Hebei Museum in China. The outer rim of the ring is carved with three identical Kui dragons with round eyes, single curved horns, slightly open mouths, upturned upper jaws, inward lips, arched tails, and coiled tips. Their arched necks and raised tails express vibrant life. Ginkgo leaves symbolize resilience, peace, and longevity, contrasting with structured motifs to create a balance of softness and vitality. Maxine added three ancient Chinese symbols of longevity circling the jade ring with the Kui dragons, achieving a triple effect of prosperity, good fortune, and eternity. The warm golden background conveys a sense of timelessness and reverence. Historically, gold has symbolized the sacred, the eternal, and prosperity—here, it unites all elements into a single cohesive universe.
Maxine performs the magic of uniting, in her works, the ancient figurative and symbolic tradition of China with a contemporary Western vision—projecting both into a harmonious dimension of peace, prosperity, beauty, and the yearning spirit of our times.
Four of Maxine’s works, previously exhibited in July at Mega Art Gallery in Venice, are currently on display at Globalart Gallery in Noicattaro, Bari. From December 5 to 7, her next solo exhibition, “Blessing by Han Chi,” will take place in Midtown Houston.