“Every flower, every blade of grass, leaves swaying beyond the window, the quiet flow of daily work—brushes, pigments, carving knives, and handmade paper carrying a soft wonder for tomorrow. Before my eyes, while Mars and the Moon feel endlessly far away, this moment right here is as warm and close as a hot cup of tea.” — Bao Pei

Whitestone Gallery Taipei is pleased to present The World Within Reach, a solo exhibition by Bao Pei. The artist creates unique mixed-media works on paper infused with personal memories and emotional resonance. Her art explores how we connect with the world—a place that feels familiar through love, yet unfamiliar as it constantly changes. As woodblocks press a network of grids onto handmade paper, expressive splashes of paint and spontaneous marks interact—disrupting order to spark unexpected vitality. By occasionally incorporating lace textiles, gold leaf, or her own used brushes, her creations intimately embody a mutual gaze between artist and world. The opening reception will be on 11/21 at 4pm, and the artist will be in attendance.

Bao Pei was born in Anhui Province in 1960, raised in an artistic family, and graduated from the Printmaking Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1984. She moved to New York in 1987, and returned to China in 2003, where she now lives and works in Beijing. Her works are held in the permanent collections of the National Art Museum of China, the Museum of Women and Children in Beijing, and the National Museum in Sweden as well as private and corporate collections such as Siemens Headquarters in Germany. Bao’s work blends classical aesthetics with a modern touch, reflecting a deep and poetic reflection on life. Art critic Xia Kejun notes: “To capture scattered memories, Bao endows sharp cuts with grid structures, balancing rational restraint with inner passion—where multi-dimensional grids meet burning flames.” On a limited paper surface, she reveals rich layers and openness, creating what she explores as “compressed tension.”

What a Wonderful Place, 2026, Handmade paper, Tempera, Printing Ink and oil color, 120.0 × 100.0 cm

The World Within Reach features selected works from 2014 to 2026, inviting viewers closer to this familiar yet fleeting world. In her “Catching in the Golden Time” series, lace mesh captures vibrant paints and gold leaf like frozen moments in time. Early works “Wall in Bloom and Branches No. 1” and “Wall in Bloom and Branches No. 1” use subdued colors to evoke weathered walls and memory fragments. In “The Lake of That Winter”, shades of blue and jade mix with subtle red undertones, shining like ice in the sun. Floral works dance between abstract and real, while in “Fine Rain over Rusted Embroidery” or “The Battle Garment of a Celestial God”, a colorful grid sits at the center of each work, surrounded by bands of mottled colors on the sides and bottom. Blending the raw power of woodcuts, spontaneous brushwork, and soft tempera powders with everyday objects, Bao creates a space pulsing with poetry. In these vibrant layers where sharp shapes meet warm, expressive color, she enters a quiet dialogue with a changing world she deeply loves—building a poetic realm that brings the world gently within reach.

Generations Part 2, 2023, Handmade Paper, Tempera, Intaglio Ink, Oil color, 152.0 × 170.0 cm

Catching in the Golden Time -Days Gone By 3, 2026, Handmade paper, Tempera, Printing Ink and oil color and fabric and 24K Gold Leaf, 22.0 × 18.0 cm