Xu Sanhuang，graduated from the Department of Art Design at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2014 and primarily lives and works in Guangzhou.
Practice centers on paper and various natural materials, focusing on the behavioral changes of materials during processes of arrangement, support, resistance, and tension. Combines materiality with poetry, exploring the relationship between humans and nature, as well as between humans and objects. Considers material as both language and the starting point for reflection, and emphasizes the potential and possibilities of the hand.
Founded ssan studio in 2019. Has collaborated with brands such as Hermès, Aesop, and Tencent.
“I spent my childhood on a semi-open wild shore, at the confluence of river and sea—a place that became my first point of intimate contact with nature. In my early work, I explored the materiality of wood, drawn to its solid, weighty feel. As my practice deepened, I gradually shifted toward paper. In the history of materials in China, the earliest paper was made from natural plant fibers. Paper possesses flexible physical properties and can more delicately reflect the vitality and subtle changes of the natural world. Its natural texture evokes my deep reflections and responses to the relationship between people and nature. Through working with paper, I explored various forces of nature—sometimes engaging private, personal emotions, and at other times, delving into the dynamics of collaboration and collective energy. Recently, I have begun incorporating a wider range of natural materials—such as bamboo, wood, stone, seeds, and sea glass—into my practice, focusing on their dynamic behaviors in arrangement, support, resistance, and tension. By combining these diverse materials, I hope to create a richer material language to respond to the ever-evolving relationship between humans and nature, and between people and things.”