Su Zihan – Artist Statement on the Horse Series

For Su Zihan, the horse is far more than a subject of depiction. When asked why he paints horses so often, the artist offers a simple yet meaningful answer: he was born in the Year of the Horse. In this sense, the horse becomes a natural extension of his identity. Through painting horses, he is in many ways expressing himself—his temperament, his strength, and his inner spirit.

In Su Zihan’s work, the horse is not only an animal but also a symbol of character and energy. The horse represents independence, resilience, dignity, and freedom. These qualities resonate deeply with the artist, and through the repeated exploration of this subject, he has gradually developed a personal visual language centered around the horse.

At the same time, Su Zihan has long been engaged in a process of simplification. He continually asks himself how to remove what is unnecessary in a painting. Rather than adding more elements, he seeks to reduce them—eliminating distractions so that the essential form and spirit of the horse can emerge more clearly. Backgrounds are often simplified into broad fields of color or quiet landscapes, allowing the presence of the horse to become the focus of the composition.

Through this process of reduction, the horse in his paintings becomes both powerful and calm. The viewer is invited to feel not only the physical strength of the animal, but also a sense of stillness and inner energy. The horse stands as a quiet yet enduring symbol—one that reflects both the natural world and the artist’s own spirit.

In Su Zihan’s art, the horse ultimately becomes more than an image; it becomes a language through which the artist expresses identity, emotion, and the search for essence.