WEI QINGJI (b.1971), APPLE, 2006

ink and mixed media on rice paper, 210 by 125cm Provenance: Michael Goedhuis Footnote: Born in Qingdao, Shandong, in 1971, Wei Qingji studied Chinese painting at Nankai University in Tianjin. Upon his graduation in 1995, he moved to Guangzhou to teach at the College of Art in South China Normal University. In 2003, he graduated from the Mural Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. His immediate move back to Guangzhou played an important role in his art, as Guangzhou (Canton) was the city in China most exposed to European and, later, New World influences. Wei has utilized his profound knowledge of traditional brush-and-ink painting to develop a personal style based on the dramatic incorporation of iconic brand images from the West into a stark pictorial field. He often mixes several techniques, such as splashing ink, writing, rubbing, tearing, collage, scratching, spraying, and so on, and lets intentional and accidental visual effects work out an aesthetic among themselves. Reminiscent of Anglo/American Pop art, Wei’s works have disrupted the long-established cultural connection between Chinese civilization and ink painting. In the work featured here, the brand image of Apple is boldly depicted with ink on xuan paper; expressing the popularity of imported materialism in contemporary China and a new global potential for ink painting. 2006年 魏青吉（生于1971年）， 苹果ink and mixed media on rice paper, 210 by 125cm Provenance: Michael Goedhuis Footnote: Born in Qingdao, Shandong, in 1971, Wei Qingji studied Chinese painting at Nankai University in Tianjin. Upon his graduation in 1995, he moved to Guangzhou to teach at the College of Art in South China Normal University. In 2003, he graduated from the Mural Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. His immediate move back to Guangzhou played an important role in his art, as Guangzhou (Canton) was the city in China most exposed to European and, later, New World influences. Wei has utilized his profound knowledge of traditional brush-and-ink painting to develop a personal style based on the dramatic incorporation of iconic brand images from the West into a stark pictorial field. He often mixes several techniques, such as splashing ink, writing, rubbing, tearing, collage, scratching, spraying, and so on, and lets intentional and accidental visual effects work out an aesthetic among themselves. Reminiscent of Anglo/American Pop art, Wei’s works have disrupted the long-established cultural connection between Chinese civilization and ink painting. In the work featured here, the brand image of Apple is boldly depicted with ink on xuan paper; expressing the popularity of imported materialism in contemporary China and a new global potential for ink painting.