Demi Gao
(She/Her)
Short biography
Demi Gao is a visual artist currently based in Glasgow, Scotland. Her practice moves across painting, mixed media, screenprint, and digital image-making, taking grayscale as a methodology, extending the time before meaning becomes fixed. Through the recurring face, image degradation, and material wear, she asks how matter carries time. She calls this stance soft resistance: not declaration, but a water-erodes-stone infiltration, working through rhythm, structure, and material choice to leave, slowly and persistently, a mark in the viewer’s experience that has not yet been named.
Statement
My practice begins with a question: what can a work do before meaning has settled?
We live in a time that demands quick positioning and immediate clarity. Instead, I try to extend the time before meaning becomes fixed. I call this attitude grayscale: not neutrality or indecision, but a respect for complexity, and a belief that judgement needs time.
Working across painting, mixed media, screenprint, and digital image-making, I use recurring faces, image degradation, material wear, and traces of repair to keep images unstable and open. This approach is rooted in bodily experience. Growing up with a physical difference in my right hand made me aware early on that ideas of perfection, symmetry, and normality are often shaped by how bodies are seen. For me, clarity does not necessarily equal truth, and imperfection is not something that needs to be corrected.
My work also brings together personal memory, fragments of Chinese visual culture, historical objects, old photographs, and contemporary digital imagery. I am interested in what happens when different systems of time and meaning meet, and how inherited images can shift when they pass through contemporary processes of scanning, compression, circulation, and material change.
The face appears repeatedly in my work, but never as a stable marker of identity. It acts instead as a changing interface, carrying traces of emotion, time, cultural memory, and the gaze of others. Materials also become active participants: some preserve and seal time, while others warp, erode, or disappear.
By resisting a single fixed reading, I want the work to remain open to different viewers, generations, and cultural backgrounds. Dialogue happens not because everyone reaches the same interpretation, but because different experiences are allowed to coexist.
I call this position soft resistance: not declaration, but a slow and persistent form of resistance, working through rhythm, material, and the act of looking itself.
Selected Works, 2025–2026
Introduction
This selection brings together works developed throughout my time at The Glasgow School of Art, outside of my degree show project Slow Tide. Moving across painting, printmaking, digital image-making and mixed media, these works trace the experiments, recurring images and material processes that gradually shaped my practice.
Across them, faces blur, images fragment, surfaces accumulate and familiar forms become unstable. Many of these works became spaces for testing ideas around grayscale, image degradation, provisionality and soft resistance, allowing meaning to remain open rather than settle into a fixed reading.
Together, they form an evolving record of the questions, materials and visual language that developed during my time at GSA.
Ritual in Submersion / 淹没中的仪式, 2026. Screenprint on paper, image size 44 × 58.41 cm.
For Sale: £220
Ritual in Submersion / 淹没中的仪式, 2026. Screenprint on textured paper, image size 44 × 58.41 cm.
For Sale: £240
Ritual in Submersion / 淹没中的仪式, 2026. Screenprint on textured canvas, image size 44 × 58.41 cm.
Through Here / 经由此处. Oil on wood panel and photo transfer, 43 × 69.9 cm.
For Sale: £570
Through Here / 经由此处. Detail view. Oil on wood panel and photo transfer, 43 × 69.9 cm.
Through Here / 经由此处. Detail view. Oil on wood panel and photo transfer, 43 × 69.9 cm.
Interior Weather / 内里有风, 2025. Mixed media on canvas, 139 × 49 cm.
For Sale: £630
Interior Weather / 内里有风, 2025. Detail view. Mixed media on canvas, 139 × 49 cm.
Interior Weather / 内里有风, 2025. Detail view. Mixed media on canvas, 139 × 49 cm.
Seduction Error, 2025. Print on contact film and acrylic boards, 50 × 60 cm.
For Sale: £370
Seduction Error, 2025. Detail view. Print on contact film and acrylic boards, 50 × 60 cm.
Seduction Error, 2025. Digital
Threshold of Appearance, 2025. Print on contact film and acrylic boards, 58.5 × 45 cm.
For Sale: £350
Threshold of Appearance, 2025. Detail view. Print on contact film and acrylic boards, 58.5 × 45 cm.
Threshold of Appearance, 2025. Digital
Corroded / 蚀, 2026. Oil on canvas, 55 × 73 cm.
For Sale: £450
Corroded / 蚀, 2026. Detail view. Oil on canvas, 55 × 73 cm.
Corroded / 蚀, 2026. Detail view. Oil on canvas, 55 × 73 cm.
Honest Damage / 诚实的损伤, 2026. Screenprint and glass wax on organza and acrylic board, 68.5 × 49.8 cm.
For Sale: £380
Honest Damage / 诚实的损伤, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint and glass wax on organza and acrylic board, 68.5 × 49.8 cm.
Honest Damage / 诚实的损伤, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint and glass wax on organza and acrylic board, 68.5 × 49.8 cm.
Below Threshold / 阈值以下, 2026. Screenprint, photo transfer and acrylic on wood panel, 69.9 × 43.01 cm.
For Sale: £450
Below Threshold / 阈值以下, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint, photo transfer and acrylic on wood panel, 69.9 × 43.01 cm.
Below Threshold / 阈值以下, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint, photo transfer and acrylic on wood panel, 69.9 × 43.01 cm.
Split Evidence / 裂证, 2025. Oil and mixed media on linen, 18 × 24 in.
For Sale: £430
Split Evidence / 裂证, 2025. Detail view. Oil and mixed media on linen, 18 × 24 in.
Split Evidence / 裂证, 2025. Detail view. Oil and mixed media on linen, 18 × 24 in.
Signal Elegy / 信号挽歌, 2026. Oil and hot glue on canvas, 30 × 30 cm.
For Sale: £300
Signal Elegy / 信号挽歌, 2026. Detail view. Oil and hot glue on canvas, 30 × 30 cm.
Signal Elegy / 信号挽歌, 2026. Detail view. Oil and hot glue on canvas, 30 × 30 cm.
Retreatung Surface / 潮息, 2026. Clear soap, UV resin, organza, gum foam and airbrush mixed medium, 60 × 45.5 cm.
Retreatung Surface / 潮息, 2026. Detail view. Clear soap, UV resin, organza, gum foam and airbrush mixed medium, 60 × 45.5 cm.
Retreatung Surface / 潮息, 2026. Detail view. Clear soap, UV resin, organza, gum foam and airbrush mixed medium, 60 × 45.5 cm.
Last Gesture / 末势, 2026. Mixed media on canvas, 30.5 × 40.5 cm.
For Sale: £230
Becoming, Briefly / 一度成为, 2025. Oil on canvas, 12 × 16 in.
For Sale: £220
Becoming, Briefly / 一度成为, 2025. Detail view. Oil on canvas, 12 × 16 in.
How to Exit a Face?, 2025. Oil on canvas.
For Sale: £230
How to Exit a Face?, 2025. Detail view. Oil on canvas.
How to Exit a Face?, 2025. Detail view. Oil on canvas.
Purge / 飞光喷焰，荡秽除腥, 2025. Acrylic and spray paint on canvas.
For Sale: £400
Purge / 飞光喷焰，荡秽除腥, 2025. Detail view. Acrylic and spray paint on canvas.
Purge / 飞光喷焰，荡秽除腥, 2025. Detail view. Acrylic and spray paint on canvas.
The Living and the Buffering / 在世者与缓冲中的存在, 2026. Reactive dye on velvet, acrylic and gold pigment, 62 × 62 cm.
For Sale: £500
The Living and the Buffering / 在世者与缓冲中的存在, 2026. Detail view. Reactive dye on velvet, acrylic and gold pigment, 62 × 62 cm.
The Living and the Buffering / 在世者与缓冲中的存在, 2026. Detail view. Reactive dye on velvet, acrylic and gold pigment, 62 × 62 cm.
Self-crossing / 自渡. Acrylic on wood panel, hot glue and gold foil, 52.3 × 72 cm.
For Sale: £450
Self-crossing / 自渡. Detail view. Acrylic on wood panel, hot glue and gold foil, 52.3 × 72 cm.
Self-crossing / 自渡. Detail view. Acrylic on wood panel, hot glue and gold foil, 52.3 × 72 cm.
Slow Tide
Slow Tide is my 2026 degree show project at The Glasgow School of Art. Bringing together painting, screenprint, digital image-making, translucent materials, light and crystallisation, the project develops through my ongoing ideas of grayscale and Soft Resistance.
Here, grayscale is not simply a visual quality, but a way of extending the time before meaning becomes fixed. Images blur, overlap, degrade and reappear; materials accumulate, dissolve and shift between states. Through these unstable surfaces and layered forms, Slow Tide explores how an image can remain unresolved, resisting the demand to settle into a single reading.
Soft Interference / 柔性干扰, 2026. Digital work printed on organza, 120 × 160 cm.
Soft Interference / 柔性干扰, 2026. Digital work printed on organza, 120 × 160 cm.
Soft Interference / 柔性干扰, 2026. Detail view. Digital work printed on organza, 120 × 160 cm.
Anatomy of an Echo / 回声的解剖, 2026. Reactive dye print on velvet, 80 × 100 cm (image size).
For Sale: £550
Anatomy of an Echo / 回声的解剖, 2026. Detail view. Reactive dye print on velvet, 80 × 100 cm (image size).
Anatomy of an Echo / 回声的解剖, 2026. Detail view. Reactive dye print on velvet, 80 × 100 cm (image size).
Between Speech and Silence / 欲言, 2026. Acrylic paint and photo transfer on canvas, 88 × 62 cm.
For Sale: £550
Between Speech and Silence / 欲言, 2026. Detail view. Acrylic paint and photo transfer on canvas, 88 × 62 cm.
Between Speech and Silence / 欲言, 2026. Detail view. Acrylic paint and photo transfer on canvas, 88 × 62 cm.
A Slow Vanishing / 一场缓慢的隐去, 2026. Screenprint on canvas, 60 × 80 cm.
For Sale: £450
A Slow Vanishing / 一场缓慢的隐去, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint on canvas, 60 × 80 cm.
A Slow Vanishing / 一场缓慢的隐去, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint on canvas, 60 × 80 cm.
Before the Night Recognised Me / 在夜色认出我以前, 2026. Oil on canvas, 40 × 50 cm.
For Sale: £370
Before the Night Recognised Me / 在夜色认出我以前, 2026. Detail view. Oil on canvas, 40 × 50 cm.
Before the Night Recognised Me / 在夜色认出我以前, 2026. Detail view. Oil on canvas, 40 × 50 cm.
Installation view of Receding / 退潮 (left) and Misregistered Gaze / 错位的注视 (right), 2026.
Receding / 退潮, 2026. Screenprint on organza and plaster wall skin, image size 30 × 40 cm (frame only, excluding fabric).
For Sale: £330
Misregistered Gaze / 错位的注视, 2026. Screenprint on veil, image size 31 × 41 cm (frame only, excluding fabric).
For Sale: £330
Temporary Monument / 临时纪念碑, 2026. Digital work printed on backlight film, 34 × 59 cm (framed).
For Sale: £320
Temporary Monument / 临时纪念碑, 2026. Detail view. Digital work printed on backlight film, 34 × 59 cm (framed).
Temporary Monument / 临时纪念碑, 2026. Detail view. Digital work printed on backlight film, 34 × 59 cm (framed).
Soft Captivity, 2026. Backlight film in LED light box 60x80cm
For Sale: £570
Soft Captivity, 2026. Installation view. Backlight film in LED light box, 60 × 80 cm.
Soft Captivity, 2026. Detail view. Backlight film in LED light box, 60 × 80 cm.
Blue Hush, 2026. Mixed media, 64 × 102.4 cm.
For Sale: £570
Blue Hush, 2026. Detail view. Mixed media, 64 × 102.4 cm.
Blue Hush, 2026. Detail view. Mixed media, 64 × 102.4 cm.
Overflow / 溢出, 2026. Screenprint, jute scrim, alum crystal, acrylic on canvas, 90 × 120 cm.
For Sale: £710
Overflow / 溢出, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint, jute scrim, alum crystal and acrylic on canvas, 90 × 120 cm.
Overflow / 溢出, 2026. Detail view. Screenprint, jute scrim, alum crystal and acrylic on canvas, 90 × 120 cm.
Blind Spot Inventory / 盲区清单, 2026. Mixed media, 21 × 29.7 cm.
For Sale: £110
Blind Spot Inventory / 盲区清单, 2026. Installation view from Slow Tide, The Glasgow School of Art Degree Show. Mixed media, 21 × 29.7 cm.
Blind Spot Inventory / 盲区清单, 2026. Detail view. Mixed media, 21 × 29.7 cm.