On one of his now legendary ocean voyages in search of foreign and uncharted lands, Christopher Columbus once mistook a kind of Caribbean tree bark for a new spice. Centuries later, this anecdote inspired the title of Xie Nanxing’s solo show at Beijing’s Ullens Center for Contemporary Art. Xie is an explorer of a different sort—his “Spice” (2016–17) series, comprising seven oil paintings, marks a new chapter in his journey through Western art history, a course-correction in which he interrogates his own prior understanding of the subject, and the relationship between Western and Chinese artistic styles.

In Spice No. 1 (2016), Xie depicts a scene of violence and aggression. A female figure lies on the ground, torso twisting in agony, while her hands are raised in self-defense. A male aggressor lunges towards her, his three legs suggesting a swift onslaught towards his victim. This painting conjures up images of classical 16th century works such as the rape of Lucretia or Europa, rendered by the likes of Titian and Hans von Aachen. However, Xie only uses a dearth of loose brushstrokes; for the victim’s hands and arms, he simply employs a rough, black line. A limited color palette of peaches and pinks stand in stark contrast to the strong teal green of the background. This atmosphere of ferocity is further amplified by the color of the walls, which are of the same green hue and which were specifically requested by the artist for the exhibition. 

Despite the art historical reference in the work’s subject matter, Xie inserts contemporary elements, producing a clash of time periods to disturbing effect. In Spice No. 4 (2017), three figures appear to be seated on the grass, with one playing on a medieval string instrument—a composition that recalls paintings of relaxed, outdoor social gatherings such as Pastoral Concert (c. 1508–10), attributed to Titian or Giorgione, and Edouard Manet’s Le déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863). Yet, in Xie’s work, this tranquil atmosphere is disrupted by the roosters in the foreground, which seem poised to fight. Furthermore, a visually jarring string of smudged bright yellow numbers presented like the display of a digital clock forcefully pulls our attention away from the idyllic romanticized past represented by the seated figures, jolting us into the present age.