Xixi Qian
About
XIXI QIAN / 钱茜茜
Born in China Wenzhou.
Lives and works in London.
Education
CCW Foundation,University of Arts London，2017-2018
BA Fine Art, Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK, 2019 - 2022
MA Print, Royal College of Art, London UK, 2022- 2023
Group Exhibitions
June 2023 - Monophony-Royal College of Art Kensington Campus, London UK
March 2023-‘Two Fold’-Southwark Park Galleries - Dilston Gallery, London,UK
June 2022 - ‘Chelsea College of Arts Degree Show’, Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK
May 2021 - 'Interim Show', Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK
Feb 2021 - ‘Wenzhou New Year’，WenzhouYueqing Gallery, China
Nov 2020 - ‘Flow’, online exhibition ,Chelsea Collage of Art, London, UK
May 2018 - ‘CCW Foundation Show’, University of Art London , London, UK
Statement
Xixi Qian's work portrays a botanical punk world, reflecting an alternative culture that transcends social norms and creates a unique spiritual utopia. She explores the social dynamics of China's second-tier cities, employing rhizomes and fungal habits in her artistic practice. From both macro and micro perspectives, she interprets the relationships between socioeconomic culture, her parents, neighbors, and generations.
Technically, she utilizes contrasting techniques such as etching and aquatint to depict the controllable and uncontrollable nature of printmaking. She perceives printmaking as a symbiotic relationship between machines and people.
In her series of vibrating strings, she delves into a microscopic exploration of utopia, drawing inspiration from the cooperative bond between legumes and rhizobia. She creates a botanical punk world where plants thrive in the mountains and rivers of her hometown—Yandang Mountain and Nanxi River—complementing each other harmoniously. Through her work set against the backdrop of her hometown, Wenzhou, she highlights the imbalanced economy and culture that have emerged from rapid industrial development over the past two decades. Furthermore, she emphasizes the vital role of cultural development in tandem with economic growth.
Xixi's research draws influence from Deleuze and Guattari's "A Thousand Plateaus," a book exploring non-linear, polycentric, and non-hierarchical thinking and social structures. Anthropologist Xiang Biao, also from Wenzhou, provides additional anthropological insights into the city's characteristics and transformations. Incorporating these perspectives, Xixi examines her encounters and relationship with society.
The String Vibrating
Medium: Hard-ground etching & Aquatint printed chine collé on rice paper and Somerset velvet white
Size: 45.7cm x 61.7cm on 60cm x 110cm
Commensalism
Medium: Hard-ground etching & Aquatint printed chine collé on handmade rice paper and Somerset velvet white
Size: 50cm x 50cm on 60cm x 110cm
Yan Dang
"Autumn Geese Nesting, Reeds Swaying“ 秋雁栖息，芦苇飘荡
This artwork reveals a majestic mountain with industrial traces upon closer inspection. Created through meticulous etching, it revolves around Yandang Mountain, a renowned landmark in her hometown. Her childhood home nestled against the mountain, alongside a flowing river. The juxtaposition of factories and nature evokes dissonance, emphasizing the need to explore developmental potential in this dynamic space.
Medium: Hard-ground etching & Aquatint printed chine collé on rice paper and Somerset velvet white
Size: 120cm x 33.3cm on 134cm x 80cm
Yandang Nanxi
Yandang Nanxi 雁荡楠溪
The artist expresses their emotional connection to their hometown's landscapes, particularly Yandang Mountain. This renowned mountain served as a sanctuary for ancient scholars to express their emotions. Despite rapid economic growth, the artist feels their hometown's humanistic and cultural development has been constrained, causing a sense of suffocation. Through their artwork, they seek to depict this sentiment and a longing for change in their community.
Medium: Photo etching printed on Somerset velvet white
Size: 120cm x 33.3cm on 134cm x 80cm
Issued from here?
Medium: Hard ground etching
Size: 36cm x 43cm on 21cm x 29.7cm
Use yourself as a method —— Publication Project
Self As Method
This archive records Xixi's self-investigation of her brain from November 2022 to February 2023, and the answer is found through the collection of different objects. In the end, a clue was composed of nine objects, namely a Polaroid, a Canon photo, an MP3, a mind map, two red tissues, a roll of memos, a pill, and two strands of hair and a letter.
“think what I think”
Medium: Cardboard,(A Polaroid, a Canon photo, an MP3, a mind map, two red tissues, a memo, a pill, two hairs, and a letter )
Size: 10cm x 15 cm x 4.8cm