Life-long rebel who found an artistic cause
ARTIST Shi Qi's birth was accompanied by tragedy. His family was too poor to feed another mouth, so his grandmother decided to sacrifice her own life for the new born, wrapping herself in a quilt and setting herself on fire.
Such traumatic beginnings perhaps explain why Shi has always been something a rebel in the art world, always determined to do things in his own way. Organized by Shanghai Art Museum and Wanda Group, a solo exhibition of Shi is running at Shanghai Art Museum through May 13. "Don't call me a 'master,' I just wanted to try something different on rice paper, instead of repeating what the ancient Chinese masters had done," Shi says. "I really admire those artists who go to extremes in their artistic pursuits." And Shi is most certainly among their number. Born in 1939 in Fuqing, Fujian Province, Shi endured a harsh, miserable childhood but his talent shone through and he was admitted to a local fine art academy, setting him upon a very different path to that taken by other members of his family. "
Your character decides everything. I feel that my character is quite suitable for an artist with ambition," he says. Equipped with training in traditional art, Shi rose to fame in the late 1970s. In the years since, he could easily have sat back and led a comfortable life, simply repeating his style. But he didn't. Instead, he attempted to take traditional ink-wash painting and add a modern touch. "I borrowed some Western techniques, like arrangement and colors," he reveals. "But the result was not satisfactory - it was too simple and shallow." Shi read many art books and related materials in search of the answer and merged Western impressionism, abstract and realistic styles in his brushstrokes. In this way, ink-wash strokes run parallel, overlap and blend with some striking oil hues. Unlike his peers, Shi goes to few exhibitions, except for those by unknown young artists, who he calls "the hope of the future."
"Sometimes they are maybe not mature or even on the wrong path, but they still ha! ve time to grow," he explains. But time is not something Shi is prepared to waste. "Da Vinci wanted to leave 180 masterpieces to the world after his death. But he only left about seven. I am not Da Vinci, so I need more time to produce my masterpieces," he says. Shi will hold a solo exhibition at Louvre Museum later this year on invitation by French arts association, the first of its sort for a Chinese artist. Date: Through May 13, 9am-5pm Address: 325 Nanjing Rd W. Tel: 6327-2829
Such traumatic beginnings perhaps explain why Shi has always been something a rebel in the art world, always determined to do things in his own way. Organized by Shanghai Art Museum and Wanda Group, a solo exhibition of Shi is running at Shanghai Art Museum through May 13. "Don't call me a 'master,' I just wanted to try something different on rice paper, instead of repeating what the ancient Chinese masters had done," Shi says. "I really admire those artists who go to extremes in their artistic pursuits." And Shi is most certainly among their number. Born in 1939 in Fuqing, Fujian Province, Shi endured a harsh, miserable childhood but his talent shone through and he was admitted to a local fine art academy, setting him upon a very different path to that taken by other members of his family. "
Your character decides everything. I feel that my character is quite suitable for an artist with ambition," he says. Equipped with training in traditional art, Shi rose to fame in the late 1970s. In the years since, he could easily have sat back and led a comfortable life, simply repeating his style. But he didn't. Instead, he attempted to take traditional ink-wash painting and add a modern touch. "I borrowed some Western techniques, like arrangement and colors," he reveals. "But the result was not satisfactory - it was too simple and shallow." Shi read many art books and related materials in search of the answer and merged Western impressionism, abstract and realistic styles in his brushstrokes. In this way, ink-wash strokes run parallel, overlap and blend with some striking oil hues. Unlike his peers, Shi goes to few exhibitions, except for those by unknown young artists, who he calls "the hope of the future."
"Sometimes they are maybe not mature or even on the wrong path, but they still ha! ve time to grow," he explains. But time is not something Shi is prepared to waste. "Da Vinci wanted to leave 180 masterpieces to the world after his death. But he only left about seven. I am not Da Vinci, so I need more time to produce my masterpieces," he says. Shi will hold a solo exhibition at Louvre Museum later this year on invitation by French arts association, the first of its sort for a Chinese artist. Date: Through May 13, 9am-5pm Address: 325 Nanjing Rd W. Tel: 6327-2829
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