In 2012, Nationalgalerie at Hamburger Bahnhof presented Chinese artist Qui Shihua’s first museum exhibition in Europe. Qiu Shihua’s oeuvre was presented with a selection ranging from the early works of the 1970s to recent works. In so doing, the exhibition offers a representative overview of Qiu’s work, which is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding achievements of contemporary art today.
Qiu Shihua’s works appear at first glance to be monochromatic, almost white paintings. But after closer inspection, broad landscapes become visible in their painterly surfaces that, depending on the perspective, become ever more detailed or disappear from view. Only intense inspection allows for the complex visibility of the images. Beyond viewing, the “thinking eye” is challenged in this work in a way that is rather unique in recent art history.
