Born in Sichuan Province in 1961, Xu graduated from the Printing Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Academy in 1987. As well as his more recent paintings shown here, Xu Zhongmin has also made a series of works inspired by the decorative arts of the late 18th and 19th centuries. He has used the conventions of Chinese incised lacquer screens to make intricately patterned compositions with scurrying, often slightly grotesque figures amid urban scenes. The claustrophobic urban world that they represent has something in common with the drawings and prints of M.C. Escher.