He Begins to Talk

More paintings from Xiaoda Xiao coinciding with The Visiting Suit: Stories From My Prison Life.
The Visiting Suit - The Barter's Market (above); He Begins to Talk (below).

"Never Forget - Struggle!"

Two new paintings by Xiaoda Xiao:

From the story, 'Release,' from The Visiting Suit: Stories From My Prison Life:

"A large portrait of Chairman Mao at the entrance of the street drew my attention. It was on a cement board about five feet high. The background was peeling away and I saw a rip as big as half of my palm on Mao’s chin. Beneath the portrait a quotation was printed in red: “Never forget – struggle!” But the other part of the slogan was hidden by a woman’s pink underwear
and blue skirt, which hung on a long piece of bamboo pole sticking out of a nearby window. All I could see was “Revolution is not a dinner party!”"

The Visiting Suit - Arrest

Here is the first chapter from Xiao's memoir-in-stories, The Visiting Suit: Stories From My Prison Life. And below are two more paintings from his series that coincide with the book: 'Arrest,' which is from the first chapter of the book; and 'In the Women Inmate's Farm,' which is from a story where the male inmates were sent to assist the female inmates, who worked in the fields, during the busy harvest season.



We are currently printing galleys for Xiao's The Visiting Suit. If you would like to receive one, please write to brian[at]twodollarradio.com.

More Visiting Suit Paintings

Here are two more paintings by Xiaoda Xiao that collaborate with his forthcoming book, The Visiting Suit: Stories From My Prison Life.

Top is a painting from the story "The Devil's Trill," in which Xiao's mother brings him his violin and the only place he is allowed to play is in the lavatory, earning himself the nickname "lavatory violinist."

The bottom painting is from the story "In the Prison Hospital."

The Visiting Suit Painting Series

In addition to being a tremendously talented writer and violinist, Xiaoda Xiao is also a wonderful painter. His new book, The Visiting Suit: Stories From My Prison Life, chronicles Xiao's arrest at twenty years old for tearing a poster featuring 'The Great Leader's Image,' to his release from labor prison five years later.

Xiao is at work on a series of paintings depicting scenes from The Visiting Suit. Three of the paintings are completed: "The Visiting Suit" (title story, painting also featured on the cover to the book); "A Thorough Materialist Has Nothing to Fear"; and "The Devil's Trill."

The plan is to celebrate the release of The Visiting Suit with a gallery showing of Xiao's artwork in November. More details to come.