Qiu Zhijie

Qiu Zhijie, born in 1969 in Zhangzhou, Fujian province, China, is a versatile contemporary Chinese artist renowned for his prowess in calligraphy and ink painting, as well as his explorations in photography, video, installation, and performance art.

His oeuvre delves into diverse themes, including the perennial struggle between the forces of destiny and self-assertion, social fragmentation, and the transient nature of existence. His innovative approach has garnered worldwide acclaim, particularly for his concept and practice of 'total art.'

Biography of Qiu Zhijie

In 1992, Qiu Zhijie graduated from the Printmaking Department of the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts, now known as the China Academy of Art (CAA), in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. His early breakthrough occurred in 1992 when his work was featured in the groundbreaking "China's New Art, Post-1989" exhibition at the Hanart Gallery and Hong Kong Arts Centre.

Notably, Qiu Zhijie curated China's first video art exhibition in 1996, and later, from 1999 to 2005, he curated a series of "Post-sense Sensibility" exhibitions, which played a pivotal role in showcasing the emerging talents of the young generation of Chinese artists.

In 2007, Qiu Zhijie achieved a significant milestone with his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Chambers Fine Art Gallery in New York.

In 2012, he served as the chief curator of the 9th Shanghai Biennale. 

Qiu Zhijie is a professor at the School of Inter-media Art of the China Academy of Art. He is also the Director of the Total Art Studio and a member of the supervisor team at the Art and Social Thoughts Institute, where he imparts his knowledge and expertise to the next generation of artists.

Qiu Zhijie's Art Style

Qiu Zhijie's art style is a captivating fusion of traditional Chinese calligraphy with contemporary media, resulting in large-scale ink-on-paper paintings and sculptures adorned with topographies inscribed with geo-political and speculative, fictional descriptions.

One of his notable installations, "A New Life" (1992), featured glass panels imprinted with texts, slogans, and figures. The installation created a translucent labyrinth that invited the audience to interact with the work, blurring the lines between art and observer. This installation laid the foundation for subsequent works such as "Bathroom" (1997) and his "Tattoo Series" (1994), which further explored the concept of free-floating symbols and words imposed on the individual.

In the "Tattoo Series," he made a powerful statement about the overpowering influence of signs and codes in our media-saturated age, suggesting that they have overshadowed actual human beings, reducing our bodies to mere vessels for these symbols.