The simple, generous and calm shapes and surfaces follow a structural order that is carefully conceived, quite different from concrete geometric patterns or the primacy of line. Xiaobai Su neither wants to convey associations in a defining manner, nor treat the colors purely as a means of expression. Rather, he understands color as something autonomous, as a concrete visual form. Colors and rhythm within the picture are sufficient in their own terms. Moreover, the pictures, which may at first seem almost monochromatic but are actually exceptionally rich in colors, convey a contingent sense of depth. This creates a third dimension that is further heightened by the effect of overlaid strips of canvas and multiple layers of lacquer and counter posed to each other with great finesse. This evokes a formal tension based on contrasts: empty, almost flat areas are placed opposite uneven patches of manifold elevations and depressions, the surface effects often accentuated by contrasting colors flashing out from the ground layers.

Seemingly monochromatic pictures with their random arrangements of revealed layers of under-painting are then structured by verticals that impose order. The ordering elements, consisting of lines and bars, performs here a rhythmic function similar to that of punctuation marks in grammar or bar lines in a state of music. The colors as bearers of emotion are a transporting medium, much like notes in music. Colors are, of course, a sensual part of our world. For each individual they are deeply subjective in reception and effect. In these pictures, colors achieve special structure and dynamism thanks to the flowing properties of the raw lacquer employed by the artist- which Xiaobai Su expressly does not wish to be seen as a link with his artistic origins, even though lacquer work may be generally associated with China. This fluidity has its own dynamism, bringing the colors to life and making them autonomous, indeed the very subject of the picture.

An artist who lives and works in an alien culture brings with him his own background and learning and must engage with a new and very different set of conditions and teachings. His situation has, at least temporarily, a "dipolar character'; from which various strategies are open to the artist as he seeks resolution. One tendency is for him to remain wedded to the art that is intrinsic to his origins and work by, in a sense, looking back. Here, the new ideas will ultimately always remain alien, and he will remain a foreigner in a foreign country. On the other hand, he can engage unreservedly with the totally new art. Or an artist can follow a course like the one pursued by Xiaobai Su, although very few have succeeded. He adopts a cautious, quiet, renunciation position, stepping back from himself and his previous life, but also keeping a certain distance from the new culture surrounding him. In this way, he observes both worlds from the outside. Taking a middle path, he seeks the best from both cultures, with the aim and conviction that ultimately only the macro world of things, the substance and the essence will last. (an excerpt from Prof. Nicole Beyer, "The Essence of the Pictures", Xiaobai Su Die Dynastie Der Farben, ZDF and Langen Foundation, 2009/2010, pp. 30- 32)