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QIU Zhijie, <Tattoo 2>, C-p rint, 100x80cm, 1996 © artist
QIU Zhijie, <Tattoo 1>, C-p rint, 100x80cm, 1996 © artist
QIU Zhijie, <Tattoo 3>, C-p rint, 100x80cm, 1996 © artist
QIU Zhijie, <A Thousand Times of Lan Ting Ji Xu>, Single channel video, 34' 38", 1992 © artist
[China]QIU Zhijie Tattoo 2 Tattoo 1 Tattoo 3 A Thousand Times of Lan Ting Ji Xu
Qiu Zhijie has received training on Chinese calligraphy and read widely on literature and philosophy since a young age. Once influenced by the Fluxes, he was one of the earliest artists to engage in conceptual art and art photography in China. A Thousand Times of Lan Ting Ji Xu is a calligraphic work copying the preface of Lan Ting Ji Xu (Orchid Pavilion) one thousand times, and documented the first fifty editions through photography. Other than the apparent calligraphic quality in its first copy, the editions thereafter only left mere visual traces of the ink, upon the fiftieth copy, even ink traces became difficult to identify, turning calligraphy into a Zen practice of writing. Tattoo series is considered an early representative work in Chinese conceptual photography. The “sense of volume” has been dissolved while the subject lacked resistance, by which the artist launched an attack on the existing clichés, questioning the panoptic of contemporary vision. From painting, photography, installation to video art and performance, Qiu’s artistic practice spans with otherworldly imaginations and rich philosophical footings. He focuses on the shattered aspects of society, juxtaposing traditional Chinese sceneries with modern icons. At the same time, he contests to the limit of the world, using various art mediums, discussing the relationships among them, the works of art and with the viewers. |
