Tommy Xie
Tommy Xie’s practice navigates the complexities of queer identity through the lens of his Chinese upbringing and the social and cultural experiences shaped by Western society. His paintings dwell in intimate moments where bodies, gestures, and sensations materialize into poetic and often surreal narratives—where queer bodies brush against one another, and sensuality becomes a form of subversion. Through layered compositions in melancholic hues, Xie’s work examines the nature of selfhood and the collaborative acts of queer mothering. Each painting becomes a site of encounter—between past and present, self and other, desire and care.
Tommy Xie (b. 1998 in Chaozhou, China) lives and works in London. He received a BFA at Central Saint Martins in London in 2021. He has had solo exhibitions at Tureen, Dallas, TX (2025); Silke Lindner, New York, NY (2024), Ginny on Fredrick, London, UK, (2022) and Monti8, Latina, Italy, (2023). Selected group exhibitions include ‘Re:Representation’ at James Fuentes, organized by Amanda Ba, New York, NY (2024) and ‘Part of the Scenery’, Grove, London, UK (2023). A solo exhibition at Silke Lindner, New York is forthcoming in October 2026.
Installation view, M/other, Silke Lindner, 2024.
We Are Not Lovers in Vain, 2024, oil on canvas, 47.25 x 39.4 inches | 120 x 100 cm
Installation view, M/other, Silke Lindner, 2024.
Torso of Air, 2024, oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches | 50 x 50 cm
It's Only Until One of Us Forgets, 2024, oil on canvas, 48 x 35.8 inches | 122. x 91 cm
Installation view, M/other, Silke Lindner, 2024.
Installation view, M/other, Silke Lindner, 2024.
But there's something on your mind, hunting wild, 2024, oil on canvas, 60.25 x 48 inches | 153 x 122 cm
Obsession, 2025, oil on canvas, 11.8 x 15.75 in | 30 x 40 cm
Blood Pearl, 2025, oil on canvas, 11.8 x 15.75 in | 30 x 40 cm
This Mess We're In, 2025, oil on canvas, 9.8 x 13.8 in | 25 x 35 cm
Trail of Mind, 2024, oil on canvas, 11 x 14 inches | 25.4 x 35.6 cm
Burning Sensation of Joy, 2024, oil on canvas, 14 x 10 inches | 25.4 x 35.6 cm
A Little Closer To Us, 2024, oil on canvas, 60 x 30 inches | 152.5 x 76 cm
A warning against a longing, 2024, oil on canvas, 49 1/4 x 85 3/8 inches | 125 x 216 cm
To be of want of love, To be felt feeling is lack, 2022, oil on canvas, 15.8 x 19.6 inches | 50 x 40 cm