PRESENTATION: Qiu Zhijie-Eco Lab
Qiu Zhijie is a leading figure in conceptual art and new media. The artist, writer, curator and teacher has earned critical recognition worldwide for his thought and practice of “total art”, which forges new cultural meanings from various philosophies and systems of thought from all time and everywhere. Qiu’s first investigations gave shape to multimedia installations using organic material, ancient and found objects, photography and video, often with interventions and performances.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Galleria Continua Archive
Qiu Zhijie’s solo exhibition “Eco-Lab” invites visitors to explore a higher-dimensional consciousness and an acute awareness of our surroundings. The exhibition also highlights the profound interconnectedness of events and their simultaneous influences. The exhibition features a multitude of transformations happening simultaneously: organic growth and decay, geological and cosmic changes, and various human and natural processes. Visitors can witness plants growing through the artwork “The garden of Forking Paths” but also wood decaying, mold spreading, mushrooms flourishing, and silkworms spinning silk. They can observe stones weathering, crystals forming, stalactites taking shape, and cosmic rays penetrating everything. Seawater evaporates into salt, soil becomes ceramics, and concrete solidifies. The work “From sand to Glass” perfectly chronicles these transformations. Additionally, “Eco-Lab” blurs the boundary between organic and inorganic materials, illustrating how cattle and sheep consume Himalayan salt bricks, mealworms digest polystyrene foam (“We are bugs”), coral polyps build reefs, and plastic waste infiltrates our bodies. The exhibition explores four themes. One theme is “drying” showcasing the drying process of various materials, where fermentation, decay, and growth occur. Another theme is “transformation”: the work “Glass Transformation” showcases four sets of experiments on the glass transformation, including the glass jellyfish sculptures coated with an electrochromic film, which change color upon the approach of a spectator; a pane of electro-controlled frosted glass that intermittently reveals the phrase, “The last thing an animal can understand is glass”; glass imaging using the phenomenon of caustics; and four glass-cleaning robots that execute repeated horizontal and diagonal movements, propelling the water into a visual semblance of ocean waves. The work “The Cosmic Ray Igloo: A Tribute to Mario Merz” features a frame resembling a Mario Merz-style igloo with a transparent display screen installed above it, cosmic ray detection chips transmit images to the screen, while stone slabs beneath the igloo’s frame connect to a meter that displays their radiation value. Lastly, the theme of “morphology” reveals the intrinsic mechanisms of form production in sea snails, zebras, and the natural additive manufacturing process akin to 3D printing. “The Architect” brings together various “architectural structures” found in Mother Nature, including nests of various animals, plant fruits, ore clusters, and so on. The artist emphasizes that this exhibition is not a call for extreme environmentalism or primitive farming methods. Instead, it celebrates the role of farmers and bakers as natural transformers and microbiologists. The artist aligns with Laozi’s philosophy, viewing nature as impartial and treating all things without preference. “Eco-Lab” also critiques exaggerated claims of “plant intelligence in bio-art, recognizing humans as significant creators on par with natural forces like volcanoes and viruses. “Eco-Lab” is a result of extensive collaboration with scientists and laborers from various fields. The exhibition embraces the essence of a laboratory, accepting experimental failures and fostering innovation. Contributions from scientists, research institutions, and graduate students are meticulously acknowledged, creating an ecosystem of collaboration that mirrors the material and energy exchanges in nature.
Photo: Qiu Zhijie, ECO-LAB, exhibition view Galleria Continua-Beijing, 2024, Courtesy: the artist and Galleria Continua, Photo: Little Dinosaur Film & Visual Studio
Info: Galleria Continua, #8503, Dashanzi 798 Art Factory, 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang Dst., Beijing, China, Duration: 23/5-6/10/2024, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00, https://www.galleriacontinua.com/
