1962

April 16, Xiao Lu is born in Hangzhou, China. Father: Xiao Feng (肖峰), mother Song Ren (宋韧), whose ancestral home was Shandong (traditionally: Lu/鲁), which is referenced in Xiao Lu’s given name. Her parents teache in the Oil Painting Department of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now: China Academy of Fine Arts), Hangzhou.

1966-1970

In 1966, the Great Cultural Revolution explodes. Xiao Lu’s parents are classed as a counter-revolutionary under the category “Cow Ghosts and Snake Spirits” [a general term for evildoers who are to be suppressed]. In early 1967, Xiao Lu accompanies her mother who is forced to live in a cow-stable. Later, she is sent to live with relatives away from Hangzhou. After the September 13 Lin Biao Incident, Xiao Lu’s parents are rehabilitated. Xiao Lu returns to Hangzhou, where she attends Nanshan Road Primary School and then Xihu Primary School.

1971-1974

Xiao Lu accompanies her parents to Shanghai, where she attends Maoming Road Primary School, Shanghai, then Huashan Road Primary School. Her sister is born on April 15, 1971. Because she is born in a time of trouble and turmoil, she is named Xiao Ge (肖戈). In 1973, Xiao Lu’s parents are transferred to work at the Shanghai Institute of Oil Painting and Sculpture, and she attends Yongjia Road Primary School, Shanghai.

1975

While playing at high jumping in the courtyard of her compound, Shanghai. Xiao Lu suffers a comminuted fracture of the epiphysis of the right ankle. The medical advice is that Xiao Lu will be permanently disabled, but after the application of traditional Chinese medicine, she recovers. Meanwhile, she begins to study painting.

1976-1984

The Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing, re-opens after the Cultural Revolution and enrols students again. In September 1979, Xiao Lu passes the entrance examination to the Subsidiary High School of the Academy. The Head of the Academy is Zhao Yun’an (赵允安). Due to emotional problems, Xiao Lu misses an academic year of study from September 1980. Experiencing #MeToo in 1984. Xiao Lu graduates from Subsidiary High School in 1984.

1984-1988

In September 1984, Xiao Lu passes the entrance examination to the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art, where her father is the Director. Influenced by the Bulgarian artist Maryn Varbanov  (Chinese name Wan Man 万曼), Xiao Lu begins from the second semester of her second year to use various materials to create her mixed media work Contemplation (静观). In 1988, her proposed graduation installation work Dialogue is opposed by the majority of the Oil Painting staff, so she creates the oil painting Red Wall  (红墙) and simultaneously creates the installation Dialogue under the supervision of teachers Zheng Shengtian (郑胜天), Hu Zhenyu (胡振玉) and Wang Chengyi (王诚一). In September, she is sent to work at the Shanghai Institute of Oil Painting and Sculpture. The work Dialogue is published on the back cover of “Fine Arts” (美术) Magazine (October, 1988) and on the inside cover of “New Art” (新美术,1988).

1989

On February 5, at the opening of the exhibition, Xiao Lu fires two bullets at her work Dialogue, selected for inclusion in the “China/Avantgarde” Exhibition (中国现代艺术展) at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing. Police mistakenly arrest Tang Song (唐宋), The National Art Museum is closed, and Xiao Lu gives herself up. On February 6, The New York Times reports on this incident in the article: “Police in China Close Art Show After Artist Shoots Her Work”. On February 10, the National Art Museum of China re-opens after five days. Various major international news outlets report this news. Xiao Lu is unable to face up to the #MeToo experience that led to the work Dialogue, the feeling of being lost during her youth, and other problems, and after the shooting for these reasons she enters into an intimate relationship with Tang Song. In her inner terror, Xiao Lu is unable to talk openly about this work, and Tang Song takes the opportunity to usurp the partial authorship of the workDialogue. In the November edition of “China Art News” (中国美术报,1989, no. 11), Li Xianting’s (栗宪庭) article “The Curtain Call of the New Wave of Art” (新潮美术的谢幕礼！) attributes the work Dialogue to “Tang Song and Xiao Lu”. In December, Xiao Lu arrives in Sydney, Australia.

1990-1997

Xiao Lu works at various casual jobs to make a living. In 1991, she takes part in the exhibition: Twelve Contemporary Chinese Artists curated by Archibald McKenzie at the University of Sydney. In 1993, The work Heaven, Earth and Sea (天空、大地、海洋 ) is included in the exhibition The Emperor’s New Clothes, curated by Nicholas Jose at S. H. Ervin Gallery. In 1997, she is given Australian citizenship and at the end of 1997, she returns to Hangzhou, China.

1998-2003

Living in Hangzhou. In 2002, Xiao Lu reads books on Freudian psychology, and begins to realise her own profound psychological problems, and how her inability to face up to the #MeToo experience of her youth led to her being unable to face up to her work Dialogue. She begins to face up to the erroneous ascription of authorship to Dialogue. In October, Xiao Lu begins to face up in public to the false attribution of the authorship of her work Dialogue in her work Fifteen Gunshots……From 1989 to 2003 (15枪……从1989到2003).

2004

From 2 February, Xiao Lu wrote four letters each to Gao Minglu and Li Xianting. Gao Minglu published them on their entirety. Li Xianting published three of them. In these letters, Xiao Lu explained for the first time that the work Dialogue had been created for reasons of emotional tumult and repeatedly stated that Dialogue was not a collaboration, but an independently created work of Xiao Lu’s. On April 12, the Beijing -based “Arts Alliance” (美术同盟) website published Xiao Lu’s work: Fifteen Gunshots….From 1989 to 2003. On April 20, the “Arts Alliance” website published the correspondence between Xiao Lu and Gao Minglu, in which the latter support ed Xiao Lu’s sole authorship. On April 23, the “Arts Alliance” website published Xiao Lu’s “Explanation of the 1989 shooting of the work Dialogue at the  National Museum of China”. On May 2, Xiao Lu took part in the exhibition “Transgressive Language 2004: Volume Adjustment” (越界语言2004 “音量调节”) curated by Huang Rui (黄锐), Dai Guangyu (戴光郁) and Thomas J. Berghuis. At the closing ceremony of the exhibition, Xiao Lu performed her work: A Dialogue About Dialogue (一个关于《对话》的对话). In December, Xiao Lu began writing her autobiographical novel Dialogue.

2005

On October 14, the “Arts Alliance” website published Li Xianting’s article: “Interviews With Some of the Participants About the Shooting Incident – and a Re-Interpretation” (关于枪击事件与部分当事人的访谈录及再解读), in which Li Xianting supports Tang Song’s partial authorship of Dialogue. On October 20, Wen Pulin (温普林) publishes on the “Arts Alliance” website the video recorded in 1989 of Xiao Lu shooting her work at the National Art Museum of China, proving the fact that who fired the shots at her work Dialogue.

2006

In March, Xiao Lu completes the first draft of her novel Dialogue. In May, she is invited to Yan’an by the Long March Space to take part in the “Yan’an Art Education Forum” (“延安艺术教育论坛”). On May 21-23 she performs her work Sperm (精子). At the “Twenty Years of Chinese Contemporary Art” special auction on November 22, at Guardian Auctions in Beijing, China, the installation Dialogue sells for 2,31 million yuan RMB.

2007

On April 28, Dialogue is shown in the “Wen Pulin Chinese Contemporary Art Archive Release Exhibition: Wang Deren, Xiao Lu, Zhang Nian”( 温普林中国当代艺术档案发布展——王德仁、肖鲁、张念) at Zero Space in the 798 art precinct. In July, Xiao Lu designs her Dongying studio and moves in. Here she creates her Human (人) installation/furniture. On May 5, at Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in 798, her work Dialogue is shown in the exhibition “The New Wave of ’85: The First Contemporary Art Movement in China” (85新潮：中国第一次当代艺术运动) curated by Fei Dawei (费大为).

2008

Xiao Lu creates the installation work X (soundtrack by Archibald McKenzie).

2009

On May 2, Gao Minglu curates “Documentary Exhibition: Remembering Twenty Years of Modern Art in China” (中国现代艺术展二十周年纪念文献展). At the Wall Art Museum, Xiao Lu performs her work Wedlock (婚) with soundtrack by Archibald McKenzie. On May 31, in the Today Art Museum in Beijing, Xiao Lu’s installation work Bullet (子弹) is shown in the “School of Notion” (意派) exhibition curated by Gao Minglu. In October, she takes part in the exhibition “Women and Performance Art” curated by Bérénice Angremy (Chinese name: Li Jing/黎静), performing her work What Is Love? (什么是爱？) on October 11 at the Stara Elektrarna (Town Power Station), Lubljana, Slovenia and Drunk (醉) (soundtrack: Archibald McKenzie) on October 11 at La Bellone, Brussels, Belgium. In December, in support of the “Warm Winter” (暖冬) plan, Xiao Lu performs her work Nine Fires (九团火) at the Zhengyang arts precinct, Beijing.

2010

On July 31, Xiao Lu’s work Love Letters (情书) is shown in the exhibition “The End of Brush-and-Ink Painting: from Brush and Ink Painting to Water and Ink”( 终结水墨画：从水墨画到水墨) at the Daxiang Art Space in Taichung, Taiwan, curated by Zhang Yu (张羽). In collaboration with Wang Lixin (王立新), Xiao Lu designs a studio at the T3 International Art Precinct, Beijing. In November, Xiao Lu’s novel Dialogue is published by Hong Kong University Press in Chinese and English translated by Archibald McKenzie. The Australian Embassy in Beijing hosts the book-launch.

2011

On May 28, Xiao Lu took part in the “Red” (红色) exhibition at Chancery Lane Gallery, Hong Kong, performing her work Science and Democracy (科学民主). On August 20, her installation work Dialogue returned to the National Museum of China after 22 years in the “Image – History – Existence” (图像•历史•存在) Taikang Art Museum collection exhibition curated by Tang Xin (唐昕).

2012

On March 3, the new works What Are Women’s Rights? (什么是女权？) and Flowers of Evil (恶之花) with Dialogue, Sperm and Wedlock were shown in the exhibition “Bald Girls: Xiao Lu, Li Xinmo, Jiny Lan” (秃头戈女：肖鲁、李心沫、蓝镜) curated by Juan Xu (庸现）at the Iberia Center for Contemporary Art at 798, Beijing. Xiao Lu, Li Xinmo and Jing Lan performed their work Bald Girls at the opening ceremony.

2013

On May 31, Xiao Lu’s work Toxins was shown in “The Grand Canal” collateral exhibition at the 55th Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy, curated by Xiao Ge at the Diocesan Museum. At the opening ceremony, Xiao Lu performed the impromptu work Purge (清洗), which led to the temporary closure of the exhibition. Subsequently, the work Purge triggered an international art controversy. In September, Xiao Lu moved into the T3 International Art Precinct. On October 28, Xiao Lu took part in the “Inaugural Auction Biennial: Why Not?”, curated by Shi Jinsong (史金淞) at the Shanghai World Expo Museum with her work Paper Room (皮纸间), performed over seven days. On December 28, Xiao Lu took part in the Digital Live exhibition performing her work Lunar and Solar Calendar 2013-2014 (阴阳历2013-2014).

2014

On March 13, Xiao Lu took part in the exhibition “Bald Girls: Time-Lag” (秃头戈女：时差) curated by Juan Xu at the Frauenmuseum Bonn, Germany with the work Illegal Household Series (黑户口系列).  On April 16, in Wiesbaden, Germany, the Bald Girls met with the Fluxus school in the exhibition Talent, Rice, Oil, Salt (才米油盐) curated by Juan Xu and featuring artists Xiao Lu, Jing Lan, Li Xinmo and Christina Straszewski. On July 31, Xiao Lu’s works Infiltration Series (渗透系列) and Open Fire (开火) were shown in the exhibition “Bald Girls: Peach-coloured Strategy” (秃头戈女：桃色策略) curated by Juan Xu and Sandra Miranda Pattin in Bogota, Colombia. In December, Xiao Lu took part in the exhibition “5th Guangzhou Live” curated by Jonas Stampe at the Youyou Center for Contemporary Art, at which Xiao Lu – due to the exhibition being interrupted and re-opened three times – on December 7 performed the improvised work Open / Close (开关), which was broadcast live by “Phenix Art”.

2015

From August 27 to 30, Xiao Lu took part in the 10th Live Action Gothenburg – LIVE TIME curated by Jonas Stampe. In the Röda Sten bay of Gothenburg, Sweden, Xiao Lu performed her work Money Laundering (洗钱). On September 5, Xiao Lu, as part of Live Action Gothenburg curated by Jonas Stampe, performed her work: One (合一) at HDK-Valand Art Academy, Gothenburg.

2016

On February 16, “One” was shown at the Kylin Contemporary Center of Art, Beijing, in the exhibition “Beyond Action” (超越行动) curated by Sissi (茜茜), Jonas Stampe and Chen Yunbing (陈赟冰). On March 19, Xiao Lu performed her work Human (人) at the Qilin Contemporary Art Center. In September, Xiao Lu on the invitation of Stein Henningsen, travelled to Longyearbyen and Pyramiden, Norway, and on September 21 she performed her works Vanishing Ghost Town (消失的鬼城) and Covenant (盟) and on September 25, she performed her work Poetic Translation (诗译). On October 23, Xiao Lu performed her work Polar (极地) at the Inaugural Live Beijing curated by Jonas Stampe. During the performance, she cut open her right palm with a knife and subsequently underwent surgery at Jishuitan Hospital, Beijing. She had severed three tendons and one muscle in her hand. On November 3, Xiao Lu’s work Dialogue was shown in the documentary exhibition “Three Decades of Chinese Performance Art” (中国行为艺术30年文献展) curated by Zhu Qingsheng (朱青生) at the Minsheng Museum of Modern Art, Beijing. On November 5, Xiao Lu’s work Dialogue was shown in the xhibition “Wen Pulin Archive Exhibition of China’s Avantgarde Art of the 1980s and 1990s.” (温普林中国前卫艺术档案之八O九O年代) at the Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing.

2017

On February 16, Jonas Stampe at the Art Museum (Konstmuseet) of Skövde, Sweden, curated the solo exhibition “Xiao Lu”, where Xiao Lu performed her work Suspension (悬冰). On May 13, Xiao Lu took part in the fourth “Venice Live”, curated by Jonas Stampe, and performed her work Holy Water (圣水) in the Piazza San Marco, Venice, after which she was driven to a hospital. On June 25, Polar was shown in the exhibition “Chinese Contemporary Art Yearbook 2016” curated by Zhu Qingsheng. On October 6, Dialogue was shown in the exhibition Art and China After 1989– Theater of the World at the Guggenheim Museum, curated by Alexandra Monroe, Philip Tinari and Hou Hanru. An exhibition catalogue of the same name was published in 2017 by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.

2018

On April 28, Xiao Lu performed her work Coil (糾) at her studio. On May 24, Polar was shown at Vermilion Art Gallery, Sydney, as part of the exhibition “Sworn Sisters” (“女书”). At the end of June, Xiao Lu went to Tate Modern in London, England, where her work Dialogue was shown as part of the collection exhibition Performers and Participants. On September 16, Aila Lin curated the exhibition ”Her Kind” (“创：Her kind”) at the Zhuzhong Art Museum, Beijing, in which Xiao Lu’s works Fifteen Gunshots… from 1989 to 2003, Sperm,  Paper Room, Polar, Human, Holy Water and Coil were shown. On December 29, Liu Li (柳力) and academic director Wei Jingjing (魏静静) curated the exhibition “Three Phenomena – Fundamental Structures of Artistic Creation” (三种现象——艺术创作的根源性构造) at the Banzhangtu Art Museum, Shanghai, in which Xiao Lu’s works Polar, One and Coil were shown.

2019

On January 18, Xiao Lu performed her work Tides (弄潮). On January 19, a solo exhibition “Xiao Lu: Impossible Dialogue” (肖鲁：语嘿) curated by Claire Roberts, Mikala Tai and Xu Hong (徐虹) opened at 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sydney. On May 12, One was shown in the exhibition “Landing” (登陆) curated by Stephen Volenec at the “Nine” (九) Art Museum, Beijing. On June 4, Xiao Lu travelled to Hong Kong to take part in the “June 4” candlelight gathering at Victoria Park. On the same day the documentary “My ’Eighties” （我的八十年代）directed by Chinese American Yang Yang (阳阳), was broadcast on Arte TV in France and Germany, featuring interviews with Wang Keping (王克平), Li Shuang (李爽), Cui Jian (崔健), Wen Pulin and Xiao Lu. On July 19, Dialogue was shown in the ,  collection exhibition “The Thousand-Handed Guanyin” at the Red Brick Art Museum, Beijing. On August 19, Dialogue was shown in the exhibition “180 Years of Photography in China” curated by Christopher Philips, Terry Bennett, Chen Shen (陈申), Zeng Huang (曾璜) and Wang Chunchen at the Yinchuan Contemporary Art Museum. On September 12, at Hong Kong 10 Chancery Lane Gallery, Xiao Lu performed her work Skew (倾斜), and the exhibition “Skew” (倾斜) opened there on the same day. Xiao Lu participated in an Anti-Extradition Bill demonstration march in Hong Kong. On October 10, Xiao Lu attended the opening of the refurbished Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her work Dialogue was shown in the MoMA exhibition “Collection: 1970s – Present.”

2020

On January 23, Wuhan was locked down due to the Covid-19 virus, and Xiao Lu remained in Hangzhou until June, when she returned to Beijing. On October 25, Xiao Lu took part in the “Commotion” (驿动) exhibition curated by Gao Minglu and Gu Yan (谷燕) at the Yuandian Art Museum, Tianjin – Wuqing with two works of the same name but created ten years apart, namely the installation/furniture Human and the performance/installation Human. On November 14, Dialogue was shown as part of the Tate Liverpool, UK, collection exhibition Democracies.

2021

On January 7, Xiao Lu returned to Sydney. In February, Xiao Lu’s work Tides was shown at the Museo de la Ciudad de Querétaro, Mexico, in the tercer festival de videoartistas chinas exhibitions and China – Exposicion de Arte Contemporanea, both curated by Elizabeth Ross. On February 18, Xiao Lu took part in the exhibition Dis/Continuing Traditions – Contemporary Video Art From China curated by Paul Gladston and Lynne Howarth-Gladston at the Long Gallery/Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, Tasmania, with the works One and three ink-and-wash works. On April 23, Xiao Lu opened Facebook and Instagram accounts. On October 22, Xiao Lu took part in the exhibition “The Realm of Existence: Contemporary Art Exhibition” (存在之境：当代艺术展) curated by Xu Hong at the Qinghua University Art Museum, Beijing with the work Fifteen Gunshots…From 1989 to 2003, Polar and Suspendion. On November 24, Xiao Lu experienced chest pain and entered St Vincents Hospital, Sydney, for an examination. She left the hospital on November 29 diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. On December 16-19, Xiao Lu’s novel Dialogue was featured at the book show “BOOKED: Hong Kong Art Book Fair 2021” at 10 Chancery lane Gallery.

2022

On January 24, Xiao Lu underwent a surgical procedure at St Vincents Hospital, Sydeny, to install an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. She was discharged on January 28.  On July 5 Xiao Lu’s work Tides was shown in the ARRA Video Art Project 2 curated by Nasim Nasr at ARRA,  Melbourne. On May 13, Xiao Lu’s works Dialogue, Polar and Coil were shown in the exhibition “Stepping Out: Female Identities in Chinese Contemporary Art” (出走！中国当代艺术的女性身份) curated by Nils Ohlsen and Christina Penetsdorfer with  Feng Boyi (冯博一) and  Liu Xi (柳溪) at Lillehammer Art Museum, Norway.An exhibition catalogue of the same name was published by Hatje Crantz, Germany, in 2022. On July 14, Xiao Lu took part in the exhibition “Bald Girls: Chain Reaction” curated by Julia Hartmann at KUH Art Space, Düsseldorf, Germany, performing with Jiny Lan the work Dirt. Trace (垢.迹). Xiao Lu’s works Skew, What Are Women’s Rights? and Tear Down This Wall (推倒这堵墙). On August 20, Xiao Lu’s work Fifteen Gunshots…From 1989 To 2003 was shown in the Twentieth Century collection exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. On September 9, Xiao Lu’s work Open Fire took part in the exhibition Empowerment  curated by Andreas Beitin, Katharina Koch and Uta Ruhkamp at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany. An exhibition catalogue with the same name was published by the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg in 2022. On September 15, Xiao Lu’s work One was shown in the National Gallery of Victoria’s collection exhibition “China: the past is present” at the NGV, Melbourne. On December 2, Xiao Lu’s works Dialogue, Polar and Coil were shown in the exhibition “Stepping Out: Female Identities in Chinese Contemporary Art” curated by Nils Ohlsen, Christina Penetsdorfer and Anne Kielgast with  Feng Boyi and  Liu Xi at GL STRAND, Copenhagen, Denmark.

2023

On January 2023, Xiao Lu’s work Dialogue was included in the exhibition “Constructing Revolution” at the Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon. On April 1, Xiao Lu’s works Dialogue, Polar and Coil were shown in the exhibition “Stepping Out: Female Identities in Chinese Contemporary Art” curated by Nils Ohlsen, Christina Penetsdorfer with Feng Boyi and Liu Xi at Museum der Moderne, Salzburg, Austria. On August 22, Xiao Lu’s work Dialogue was shown in the inaugural Taikang Art Museum, Beijing, exhibition curated by Tang Xin “Engaging With the World: Chinese Modern and Contemporary Art From the 20th Century On” (入世：20世纪以来的中国现当代艺术). On October 16, Xiao Lu went to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where her works Polar and Money Laundering were shown in the “Fourth Chinese Women Video Artists Festival” (IV Festival de Videoartistas Chinas, Cuernavaca + Kunming) curated by Elizabeth Ross. On December 12, Xiao Lu’s personal website xiaoluart.com was closed down. On December 22, Xiao Lu launched a new website based in Australia with the new domain name: xiaolu.com.au.

2024

On February 2, Xiao Lu held a solo exhibition, “Dignity of Remembering” (记忆的尊严）at MARS Gallery, Melbourne. The soundtrack for the installation work displayed at the opening was composed by Archibald McKenzie. On June 14, Xiao Lu’s solo exhibition “Junk” (垃圾) opened at Passage Gallery, Sydney, for which Xiao Lu performed the performance work/installation Junk over the duration of the exhibition. On September 2, Xiao Lu’s works Dialogue and Fifteen Gunshots…From 1989 to 2003 took part in the exhibition “Connecting Bodies: Asian Women Artists” (链接身体：亚洲女性艺术家) curated by Bae Myungji at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea. An exhibition catalogue of the same name was published by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Seoul, Korea, in 2025.

2025

From February, Xiao Lu launched the Bald Girls website: blad-girls.com. On March 1, Xiao Lu’s mother Song Ren died in Hangzhou of an illness, aged 93. On June 26, Xiao Lu left Sydney. On July 8, Xiao Lu’s father Xiao Feng died at the age of 93. On September 16, Xiao Lu goes to London, UK. On November 9, the solo exhibition “Xiao Lu: The First Gunshot of Chinese Feminist Art” (肖鲁：中国女性主义第一枪）opens at the Frauenmuseum Bonn, Germany. The curators are Juan Xu, Julia Heintz and Marianne Pitzen. An exhibition catalogue of the same name was published by the Frauenmuseum Bonn, Germany in 2025. At the exhibition opening, Xiao Lu presented her installation/performance work Breath (炁) to a soundtrack by Archibald McKenzie.