Last updated: 28 October 2026
Xingxin Hu is the Chinese-born, London-based artist who paints tightly cropped, intimate close-ups of bodies and everyday objects in soft, warm oils. Here you will find our take on her work, where Xingxin Hu has shown, how to buy her paintings, and her small oil on linen in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Xingxin Hu
Hu paints small, close-up fragments: a torso, a pair of socks, a lip with a lollipop stick, a hair on a pillow. Her subject is the female figure and the private life around it. In her statement for the War Child sale, she describes the body as “a psychological and relational space shaped by memory, touch, distance, and daily rituals” (lot page). The cropping is tight, like a film still.
Her War Child piece, She Misses Someone She’s Never Met, is oil on linen. It shows a close view of a foot in a glossy oxblood mule, with three toes poking out at the front. The ankle and shin fill the top left, and the rest is warm, bare-looking linen. The weave shows through everywhere, while the frayed edges of the unstretched cloth are left on view. Small white highlights make the leather look wet.
She is early in her career, having switched from law to painting. Her first solo show was at Peter von Kant in St Leonards-on-Sea in 2024. A review of her 2025 show at MAMA Salon in The Glimpse Magazine compared her quiet palette to Giorgio Morandi. So this lot is an early, affordable way into her work.
Xingxin Hu: the essentials
- Born in Hunan, China, in 1988; based in London and Beijing, according to ArtRabbit.
- Studied law first, with a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the Communication University of China (2009).
- MA in Fine Art: Painting from Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London (2023).
- Longlisted for the John Moores Painting Prize in 2023 and shortlisted for Studio West’s NOW Introducing prize the same year.
- A finalist for the 19th Prisma Art Prize in 2026.
- Group shows in 2026 include Connelly Martin Gallery in Austin and Sun Valley, Ruby/Dakota in New York, and Purist Gallery and Galleria Objects in London.
Where to see Xingxin Hu now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The piece is She Misses Someone She’s Never Met (2026), oil on linen, 15 x 21 cm (5.9 x 8.3 in), lot page.
- Solo show, MAMA Salon, London, March 2025 (review in The Glimpse Magazine).
- Extra Brut (solo), Peter von Kant, St Leonards-on-Sea, 19 April to 17 May 2024 (ArtRabbit).
How to buy a Xingxin Hu painting
There are no Xingxin Hu prints, editions or books on sale, and she has no gallery page we can link to. For now, the easiest option is:
- She Misses Someone She’s Never Met, 2026: a small oil on linen in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
Xingxin Hu FAQs
Where is Xingxin Hu from?
She was born in Hunan, China, in 1988 and trained as a painter in London, where she is now based.
Where did Xingxin Hu study?
She took a law degree at the Communication University of China, then an MA in Fine Art: Painting at Camberwell College of Arts in London.
Can I buy a Xingxin Hu print?
Not at the moment. There are no prints or editions, so the War Child auction lot is the easiest way to buy her work.
Where can I see her work in London?
Her War Child piece is on view at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026.
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- Freelands Painting Prize review: new painting worth seeing in London.
- Soho Home x Rise Art: affordable editions by emerging artists.
- Gifts for artists: our edit of presents for people who make things.
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Main image: Xingxin Hu, She Misses Someone She’s Never Met, 2026 (detail). © Xingxin Hu, courtesy War Child. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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