Qiu Shihua

Inscribed within the ambivalence of shape and non-shape, image and non-image, Qiu Shihua’s (*1940) paintings are sensations beyond rational understanding. They reveal themselves solely in the imminent contemplation of a vast perceptual field which persistently eludes conceptual comprehension. At first glance, notwithstanding the figurative elements they contain, his paintings radiate a "void". Qiu’s landscapes confide their meaning through perception and patience, through contemplation only.

"Forget Everything. When there is nothing anymore, you can taste the pleasure of emptiness, and you can indulge with it at will.... When outside there is a decrease, inside there is an increase: when the form is lurking, the spirit manifests itself."

— Qiu Shihua

“For me north, south, east, or west count for nothing, nor do red, yellow, or blue, and certainly not past, present, or future. With endless emptiness in the heart there is neither coming nor going; they are one and the same. So are my works too: simple and pale, calm and empty. All being and non-being is hidden in them, completely self-contained. In the zero condition the original countenance of the soul reveals itself.”

— Qiu Shihua