The artist
Mao XueleiMAOMAO
An artist working at the meeting point of theatre, nature and the art of gathering.
Born in Wuhan and based in Shanghai, Mao Xuelei studied at the National University of Ireland and Goldsmiths, University of London. Her training in theatre continues to shape a practice that moves between table art, immersive installations, painting and objects.
For MAOMAO, the table is a stage. Porcelain, flowers, fabric, silver, light and food each have a part to play. Guests enter the work as participants, bringing their own stories and emotions to a shared experience.
Her encounter with the Irish landscape opened an enduring inquiry into the relationship between humanity and nature. Drawing on Daoist thought, she explores how an attentive relationship with the self can change the way we inhabit the world.
Painting
Body, breath, gesture.
Her painting brings together improvisation, expressionism, physical gesture and yoga. Breath and movement become marks on paper and canvas, extending her immersive practice into another medium.
Selected moments
- 2026
Participates in the product design of Christofle’s MOOD Asia Dragon collection.
- 2025
Chief Planner and Visual Creative Director for the Fudan School of Management’s sci-tech stage production.
- 2024
Co-curates Rêverie française in Shanghai and Chengdu; continues Healing in the City during her art journey in France.
- 2018
Emotions is exhibited with Christofle at Design Shanghai; featured in CGTN’s Designers in China.
- 2016
Begins creating home and space styling for VOGUE China.