Qiu Jie

Who is Qiu Jie?

Qiu Jie is a Chinese artist working in Switzerland, France and China.

At an early age, Qiu Jie was left in the care of his grandparents in Shanghai because his parents had been relocated. He began drawing at the age of ten, and when he got into middle school was sitting in his friends studio drawing until midnight every night.

He has shown work internationally in exhibitions including Ce quil te plaît 2 at MAMCO in Geneva, Qui Jie at La BF15 in Lyon and the 2006 Shanghai Biennale.

Having trained in both Chinese high-realism and European multi-media schools and worked professionally as a decorator and designer, Qiu Jie’s drawings are informed from a wide range of aesthetic influence. ‘Qiu Jie’ itself is an adopted pseudonym: meaning ‘foreigner’ or ‘outsider’, conjuring images of a mysterious stranger negotiating the terrains of imagination. This sense of myth-making, exotica, and expedition is reflected through Qie’s work.

Qiu's Portrait of Mao is a humorous play on words: "mao" means "cat" in Chinese. In traditional Chinese painting, an image of a cat holds special significance. Often coupled with a butterfly, it can be used to bestow a blessing. Rendered with the pastoral detail and calligraphy inscription of Song Dynasty masterworks, Qiu's drawing takes equal inspiration from eastern philosophies of beauty and wisdom and the kitsch populism of western artists such as Cassius Coolidge. Meticulously drafted in lead on paper, Qiu's sentimental homage offers a surrealist vision that's alchemically toxic, and seductively coy.