ART-PRESENTATION: Qiu Zhijie-Racing against time

Qiu Zhijie is not just an internationally established artist but also a key point of reference on the Chinese art scene. His artistic practice embraces calligraphy, poetry, teaching, criticism and curating. Thinker, activist and cartographer, Qiu Zhijie is a multi-faceted intellectual figure, and his work is articulated through an all-inclusive practice which in Chinese is called Guangdong Art.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Galleria Continua Archive

The term Guangdong Art encompasses various different meanings. It is the expression of individual freedom whilst respecting social responsibilities, it is the concurrence between rational analysis and impulse, it is the harmonic interaction between the different spheres of action in which we engage. And finally it is the reciprocally advantageous fellowship between the explosive experience of making art and the experience of everyday living. “Art does not just concern the work produced, but also the more general environment to which the work reacts; it is a complete practice”, says the artist. The solo exhibition by Qiu Zhijieat, at the Galleria Continua, is entitled “Racing against Time”. The project comprises a group of new works specially conceived for the occasion. In his work he uses different media, ranging from video to photography, performance to ink painting and installation. This mixture of languages function as a single whole: “I try to use all types of media, I believe that my ideal medium is the relationship established between all the objects”, he explains.The exhibition, takes the form of an archaeological site, it presents a series of landscapes entitled “Evolution”. Reflecting Qiu’s typical style, they are realized using the centuries-old Chinese technique of padding with sponges: “It is a very advanced traditional technique”, explains the artist, “usually employed to transpose onto paper inscriptions and graphic motifs depicted on ancient vases. …”. These paper reliefs, some scattered with fossils and fragments of artefacts, are a world that comes to the surface thanks to Qiu’s archaeological sensibility. The “Evolution” series develops chronologically, from Pangaea to the invention of agriculture and through to the “Birth of God”, the images of the intricate skeletons of Lover and those of the legendary bird Kunpeng represent the final point of evolutionary history.

Info: Galleria Continua, Via del Castello 11, San Gimignano, Duation: 13/2-1/5/16, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 11:00-13:00 & 14:00-19:00, www.galleriacontinua.com