Arts preview: Solo Exhibition of Qin Feng

SOLO EXHIBITION OF QIN FENG
Galerie du Monde

Artistic inclination and inspiration came naturally — and early — for mainland ink artist Qin Feng. "I used to be a herder when I was young and I loved creating shapes by treading on the grass," says Qin, who grew up in Xinjiang. "The images were pretty and they were just like paintings. I got an urge to make sketches of them, and I would draw on the ground with a stick as I had no access to pen or paper. I fell in love with documenting life that way."

Born in 1961, the artist didn't start school until the age of 12, but eventually went on to study mural painting at the Shandong Art Institute in the 1980s before beginning his decades-long exploration of contemporary ink painting. Today he has accumulated a body of abstract ink and mixed media work that fuses traditional techniques with modern modes of expression — a collection which is going on show at Galerie du Monde as part of the gallery's 40th anniversary.

Qin's multicultural upbringing in Xinjiang, his artist residency, some stints in Germany and New York, and his travels have all fuelled his creative pursuits. He has created a language of his own, and works with symbols deduced from ancient characters from different civilisations. No symbol is the same, Qin adds, and not even he can replicate them, as they reflect his emotions at the moment of creation.