Chinese import: Pace Gallery stages Qiu Xiaofei's first solo North American show
Opening at New York's Pace Gallery this week, 'Double Pendulum' is the first solo exhibition in North America for the Chinese contemporary artist Qiu Xiaofei. This show, in particular, is a true departure from Qiu's usual work, that has historically been more of a reflection on his past: a time warp, if you will. The show consists of a group of new works dealing with the ‘expression of psychological and cultural forces through art’ – and specifically, painting.
Using acrylic paint, Qiu appropriates palette knives, spray guns, brushes and other implements in an improvisational manner; giving in to and resisting the resulting sprays, drips and even the creation of forms. The art, which leans towards abstraction, explores the potential of form plus colour, and thus expresses what the artist calls ‘a social subconscious’.
‘There has been a kind of distant coolness in Chinese art, even when it refers to the West in style,’ says Arne Glimcher, chairman of Pace Gallery in New York. ‘Qiu Xiaofei’s painting is unique in China and spearheads a new generation of Chinese abstraction. Although his personal references are encapsulated in expressionistic color and enigmatic symbols, they are uniquely Chinese.’
The artist, born in Fujian, China, studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing from 1998 to 2002 and is a member of the N12 group of Central Academy of Fine Arts graduates, who began staging shows together in 2003. He has had solo exhibitions at institutions including the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and Doosan Art Center in Seoul.
INFORMATION
’Double Pendulum’ opens on 11 March and runs until 23 April. For more details, visit Pace Gallery’s website
Photography courtesy of the artist and Pace Gallery
ADDRESS
Pace Gallery
510 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10001
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Daniel Scheffler is a storyteller for The New York Times and others. He has a travel podcast with iHeart Media called Everywhere and a Substack newsletter, Withoutmaps, where he shares all his wild ways. He lives in New York with his husband and their pup.
-
This new lakeside house in Chile is a tour de force of contemporary timber construction
Cazú Zegers’ lakeside house Casa Pyr is inspired by the geometry of fire and flames, and nestles into its rocky site
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Kimy Gringoire’s ‘BigLoveCables’: heart-shaped seating and lighting, inspired by her jewellery designs
Kimy Gringoire’s ‘BigLoveCables’ exhibition in MASA’s Project Room, Mexico City, introduces lighting and seating inspired by a core symbol in her jewellery: the heart
By Siska Lyssens Published
-
Kia fields a pair of all-electric camping concepts, the PV5 WKNDR and EV9 ADVNTR
The 2024 SEMA show saw two new concept designs from Kia, exploring the art and function of the all-electric camping machine
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary art
As Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
By Finn Blythe Published
-
‘This blood that is flowing is my blood, and that should be a positive thing’: Tracey Emin at White Cube
Tracey Emin’s exhibition ‘I followed you to the end’ has opened at White Cube Bermondsey in London, and traces the artist’s journey through loss
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Harlem-born artist Tschabalala Self’s colourful ode to the landscape of her childhood
Tschabalala Self’s new show at Finland's Espoo Museum of Modern Art evokes memories of her upbringing, in vibrant multi-dimensional vignettes
By Millen Brown-Ewens Published
-
Artist Peggy Kuiper’s impactful figurative works explore her memories and emotional landscape with striking visual intensity
Peggy Kuiper presents ‘The Conversation That Never Took Place’ at Reflex in Amsterdam, featuring over 25 new works (until 13 July)
By Simon Chilvers Published
-
Don’t miss: Hayv Kahraman intertwines colonialism and botany in London
Artist Hayv Kahraman draws parallels between colonial botany and her experiences as an Iraqi refugee transplanted into Europe, at Pilar Corrias in London
By Hannah Silver Published
-
The ageing female body and the cult of youth: Joan Semmel in Belgium
Joan Semmel’s ‘An Other View’ is currently on show at Xavier Hufkens, Belgium, reimagining the female nude
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Guglielmo Castelli considers fragility and violence with painting series in Venice
Guglielmo Castelli’s exhibition ‘Improving Songs for Anxious Children’ at Palazzetto Tito, Venice, explores childhood as the genesis of discovery
By Sofia Hallström Published
-
‘Accordion Fields’ at Lisson Gallery unites painters inspired by London
‘Accordian Fields’ at Lisson Gallery is a group show looking at painting linked to London
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published