Essay

All for one 
The art of Chen Qi 
By Yin Shuangxi 

Though the world alters swiftly 
Like patterns of cloud, 
All that’s perfected 
Returns to its ancient place. 
Beyond the change and departure, 
Further away, and freer. 
——Rilke's Sonnets to Orpheus, Part 1, No. 19 

I name Chen Qi's art exhibition "Animism", because I see his curiosity and questioning about the origin of world through his continuous creation and exhibitions. Chen Qi is a poet of our time who freely walks on the earth, and observes everything with his deep and sensitive heart. Everything of the world, from cultural objects to natural objects, from wormholes to clouds, from tiny waves to vast seas, all comes and goes. Its origin remains the same and alive, even after its form fades away. How water, light, flowers, trees, brightness, darkness, dots, and lines move and change achieve eternity in Chen Qi’s static images. In his artworks, those irregular forms and movements imply the internal order and essence of the world as an interconnected and ever-changing entity. 

What is the essence of being a thing? The Book of Changes states that “Qian Yuan is where all things begin.” Everything of the earth, ranging from natural objects (e.g., white clouds, falling leaves, and clear water) to man-made products can all be called things. The essence of being a thing, in fact, lies in its "materiality". The concept of “materiality” refers to the relationship between things and people. Wang Yangming believed that “All things integrate with each other, and can’t exist outside human’s heart.” Humans understand things as carriers of certain characteristics, unities of human sensory diversity, and materials with formal forms. The true function of an artwork is its description of things which unveils existence of being to us. Art, therefore, is the truth self-embedded in the artwork. 

According to Heidegger, there are two processes decisive for the essence of modernity, namely, interactions between the world becoming an image and the man becoming a subject. The more people present the objective world through images, the more they highlight human as the subject and the representation of human as the representation of world. 

One of his artworks, Paradise (2020), was created in the pandemic period when inexplicable panic and confusion run rampant in the whole world. Chen Qi, though quarantined in small space, still held limitless imagination. It enabled him to create a vibrant world where all things (e.g., ancient buildings, cloud shadows, flying birds, and thick forests) freely grew. He is able to discover the image of cloud through stone holes, and the image of water vapor through blooming lilies. These natural images are unfolded on his remarkable artworks. "Through this, humans set themselves as a scene in which the existence inevitably presents itself and becomes an image." (Heidegger) Image, therefore, becomes an expression of the artist as a subject. In a broad sense, Chen Qi's artworks reflect how he communicates with nature. His communication with nature and history, though silent, is full of tensions and his reflection of life. The audience are, thus, able to understand his feelings about nature, and to enter the natural world with him. His handmade book installation, History of Nature (2022), can also be considered the history of human beings. Although this book carries human’s yearning for eternity, it has been badly damaged by short-lived worms. The audience may appreciate these natural traces, and at the same time reflect on "what is eternal and why is eternal". These images, like notations of time, record the fleeting traces of everything, and are full of the rhythm of life. As a printmaker, Chen Qi is very familiar with marks of engraving, corrosion, printing, and shade. All these marks record how everything exists on the earth. It can be said that Chen Qi not only shares his interpretations of the world with us, but also provides a new emotional platform for us. 

The art of Chen Qi reflects his understanding of a traditional Chinese philosophical concept "all for one", and his practice of a traditional Chinese aesthetic theory "coexistence of emptiness and fullness". Greenberg, an American art critic, also believed that art would be unimaginable, if without continuity. “Modern art has neither reason nor legitimacy, if without the history of art or without needs and impulse to maintain its standard of excellence.” The authenticity and success of artworks are primarily based on individual authenticity and success. Contemporary art originates from artists’ responses to a wider social context. The emergence of modern art reflects interactions between artists and society, and between their souls and nature. It also shows an abstract expression of desire, tension and value pervading the whole society of the Industrial Revolution. The art historian, Schapiro, believed that “Every type of abstract art is not about creating an absolute form, but about endowing certain elements (e.g., color, picture, contour, pattern, and form technique) with special yet temporary meanings.” 

The German philosopher Husserl believed that daily life is the source of meaning for survival. The world we live in is a world of daily life which has fundamental value for the generation of life meaning. It is not completely naturalized or materialized, because it has accumulated the achievements of human civilization and evolution. Through the civilized and historical world, we can see the accumulated meaning structures of different forms (e.g., cultural form, symbolic form, product form, and ideology). They are able to achieve their interpretations and meanings in interactions and mutual understandings among modern people. 

Li Keran once said, "Painting is about what you see, what you know, and what you think." According to the principles of hermeneutics, what people already know about the world determines their “front fields of view” and their methods of view. That’s why we say that only some people are able to see the essence through its appearance. What they know and how they think affect what they see. 

Hölderlin once sang in his poem “To the Germans”: 
Our lifetime is so limited 
We watch and calculate our age 
But the years of various ethnic groups 
Did a mortal eye see them? 

Chen Qi is such an ordinary artist, but he has gained a profound way to observe the changes of all things over the past decades of his artistic career. Through his artworks, we can see his soul trembling in the longing, swaying in the shadow, traveling through woodblocks, transcending himself, and ultimately entering the history. One of the most difficult things for artists is to always express themselves in just the right language throughout their artistic journeys. Chen Qi sees the world from the perspective of printmaking, and uses different media and languages to express his feelings about everything. Chen Qi's artistic practice indicates that the ideal of Chinese contemporary art is to present real life insights and artistic language expressions, and to accumulate visual experience in Eastern aesthetics through a continuous, high-quality, and personalized process of creation. 

June 2024

About the artist

陈琦，字巨川，1963年生于南京，1987年毕业于南京艺术学院美术系，获学士学位；2006年毕业于南京艺术学院美术系，获博士学位。中央美术学院教授，博士生导师。中国美术馆展览评审委员会委员，中国美术家协会版画艺术委员会委员，中国国家画院研究员，中国人民大学、天津美术学院特聘教授，第58届威尼斯双年展中国国家馆参展艺术家。其作品连续获得第七、八、九届全国美展铜奖及优秀奖，第十三届版画展金奖及第五届北京国际美术双年展优秀作品奖。

重要个展
2024  2024陈琦：於我归处，江苏省美术馆，南京
2023  2023陈琦·巨川，亚洲艺术中心，北京
2022  @武汉2022·无去来处：陈琦，湖北美术馆，武汉
2019  别故与共生：陈琦2019个展，艾米李画廊，北京
2018  陈琦格致：一个展示和理解的实验，德基美术馆，南京
2018 印痕与复数——陈琦个展，亚洲艺术中心，北京
2016  陈琦的时间：1983-2016，半岛美术馆，上海
2013  时间简谱：陈琦艺术作品展，中国国家博物馆，北京
2008  陈琦木刻，杜伦大学东方博物馆，杜伦，英国
1993  陈琦水印版画第一回展，中国美术馆，北京

重要群展
2023  A-I-ài 广州画院2023全国艺术名家作品邀请展，广州画院美术馆，广州
墨·色：谭平 & 陈琦，太仓美术馆，太仓
时间引力——2023成都双年展，成都市美术馆，成都
融合与创新——中央美术学院博导造型艺术展（第一回），保利艺术博物馆，北京
念念迁流——风景的图像变迁与当代转向，广东美术馆，广州
“万物不息”第三届新高尚美学艺术展，江苏省现代艺术馆，南京/成都红美术馆，成都
滴水穿石——东方意象的建构与梳理，荣宝斋当代艺术空间，北京
经典的复现与传统的再造——荣宝斋350周年木版水印当代艺术主题展，国家大剧院艺术馆，北京
时间的海，重美术馆，北京
水之回响，银川当代美术馆，银川
2022  后印刷——第三届CAA国际版画三年展，浙江展览馆，杭州
唯物思维——首届国际当代材料艺术双年展，青岛云上海天艺术中心，青岛
耕耘在大地上——中央美术学院美术馆藏版画专题展，中央美术学院陶溪川美术馆，景德镇
静水流深——亚洲艺术中心四十周年特展，亚洲艺术中心，北京
第14届哈瓦那双年展「中国单元」“共振·中国当代艺术”，古巴国家图书馆，哈瓦那，古巴
大地史诗——中国大运河主题艺术展，浙江美术馆，杭州
集成——中国当代艺术名家版画展，金鸡湖美术馆，苏州
版画的指向——势象版画收藏展，势象空间，北京
峥嵘印迹——江西版画展，江西省美术馆，南昌
万重山——中国水墨年鉴展，安美术馆，北京
“江南再造”首展｜致意：从未消逝的黄金时代，南京艺术学院美术馆，南京
五色斑斓——中国套色版画艺术四百年，北京民生现代美术馆，北京
2021  醇境之源——麦卡伦艺术体验展，上海当代艺术馆，上海
青年精神：2021中国工业版画三年展，湖北美术馆，武汉
共生的力量——2021国际水印木刻版画邀请展，南京艺术学院美术馆，南京
2021中国启东国际版画艺术中心全国版画名家邀请展，启东国际版画艺术中心，启东
首届国际数字版画艺术大展，长沙师范学院美术馆，长沙
第三届“界”——全国版画名家作品邀请展，淮安市美术馆，淮安
片石山房——沈勤·陈琦作品展，亚洲艺术中心，北京
中国园林“多维度”系列展——窗，园林的眼睛，中国园林博物馆，北京
平板向度：从纸面到虚拟的视觉艺术，浙江美术馆，杭州
巨川雅集——辛丑水印版画年度展，目异空间，北京
2020  移动的理想国·形影，798 艺术工厂，北京
纸上谈缤——中华纸文化当代艺术展，浙江美术馆，杭州
亚洲数字艺术展，时代美术馆，北京
繁花似锦——中国国家画院创研新楼启用特展，中国国家画院明德楼，北京
致敬传统——当代纸艺术作品巡展，今日美术馆，北京
2019  第58届威尼斯双年展中国国家馆展览“Re-睿”，威尼斯，意大利
生逢其时——小林敬生 & 陈琦作品展，亚洲艺术中心，北京
新考工记——中法手工之美，中国国家博物馆，北京
共同空间——后非遗时代的大运河叙事，时代美术馆，北京
2018  水印千年——中国水印版画大展，浙江美术馆，杭州
第四届苏州·金鸡湖双年展“自·沧浪亭：当代艺术展”，金鸡湖美术馆，苏州
2017  “我在”·2017中国版画艺术工作室联盟作品展，广东美术馆，广州
上海国际版画展，上海中华艺术宫，上海
2016  沈勤、陈琦：零度，亚洲艺术中心，台北
中国当代版画名家文献展，中国版画博物馆，深圳
2015  沈勤 & 陈琦作品展，亚洲艺术中心，北京
后印刷——第一届CAA国际版画双年展，中国美术学院美术馆，杭州
2014  第十二届全国美术作品展，中国美术馆，北京
2013  我在·中国版画艺术工作室联盟展，江苏省美术馆，南京
2012  水·印·象——第十一届『姑苏之秋』当代水印版画邀请展，苏州美术馆，苏州
2011  观城——国际版画邀请展，上海美术馆，上海
2009  传统的复活——中国当代艺术展，法兰克福当代艺术馆，法兰克福，德国
1995  神奈川国际版画艺术节——日本当代版画和战后50年世界脚步，横滨美术馆，横滨，日本

主要获奖经历
《编年史 No.2》获《第五届北京国际双年展》优秀作品奖。
《中国风景》获《庆祝中华人民共和国建国55周年江苏省美术作品展》优秀奖。
《似水流年》获《江苏省版画新作展》金奖。
《水中鱼之一》获《第二届中国美术金彩奖展》优秀作品奖。
《梦蝶》获《全国第十五届版画作品展览》铜奖。
《水中鱼之二》获《全国第九届美术作品展》铜奖。
《荷之连作十六》获《全国第十三届版画作品展》金奖。
《莲之舞》获《全国第八届美术作品展》优秀作品奖。
《荷之四》获《江苏省版画作品展》创作奖。
《立冬》获《江苏省版画作品展》优秀作品奖。
《琴之四》获《全国第十一届届版画作品展》铜奖。
《三弦》获《江苏省版画作品展》创作奖。
《琴》获《台北—北京当代版画展》杰出奖。
《桥》获《中国青年版画展》优秀作品奖。
《椅之二》获《意大利彼埃垃国际版画双年展》特别奖。
《桌之一》获台湾三原色艺术中心举办的《大陆青年版画家大展》银奖。
《桌之二》获《全国第七届美术作品展》铜奖。
《正午》获《江苏省版画作品展》优秀作品奖。

主要出版
《中国水印木刻的观念与技术》 中国画报出版社
《陈琦格致—一个展示和理解的实验》 人民美术出版社
《时间简谱 · 陈琦 1983-2013》 人民美术出版社
《刀刻圣手与绘画巨匠》 江苏美术出版社
《陈琦木版画集》 文化艺术出版社
《版画技法》 江苏美术出版社

公共收藏
大英博物馆（英国）、维多利亚阿尔伯特博物馆（英国）、阿什莫林艺术与考古博物馆（英国）、 苏富比艺术学院（英国）、欧洲木版画基金会（英国）、克利夫兰艺术博物馆（美国）、纽约公立图书馆（美国）、福冈美术馆（日本）、纽约公立图书馆（美国），维也纳青年美术馆（奥地利）、中国美术馆（北京）、上海美术馆（上海）、广东美术馆（广州）、湖北美术馆（武汉）、浙江美术馆（杭州）、江苏省美术馆（南京）、苏州博物馆（苏州）、深圳美术馆（深圳）、关山月美术馆（深圳）、青岛美术馆（青岛）、德基美术馆（南京），亚洲艺术中心（北京|台北）