Nan Qi

1960, Yongkang, Zhejiang, China

Introduction

The Chinese ink painter Nan Qi is famed for his three-dimensional images comprised of his eponymous "Nan Qi dots" and interpretations of Chinese cultural icons, including female soldiers, the five-pointed red star, and multi-national bills. Nan Qi's emoji works feature big thumbs, smileys, and roses that are part of our everyday lives. These works resemble Pop art at first glimpse but as you look more carefully the work begins to change from 2-D to 3-D. As in the artist’s own words, “Stare closely at the center of the painting for two minutes. Relax, clear your mind and then slowly move backward, you will experience the 3-D effect of the painting.” He is currently developing a new series of Chinese landscape paintings. Deriving inspiration from ancient masters including Guo Xi from the Song Dynasty and Huang Gongwang from the Yuan Dynasty, Nan Qi has contemporised the historical landscapes with the use of his 3-D dots, resulting in a monochrome, hazy vista that is at once both challenging and cutting edge. 


Born in Yongkang, Zhejiang in 1960, Nan Qi was trained in classical landscape ink painting at the People’s Liberation Army Fine Arts Academy in Beijing. Over the years, his subject matter has ranged from mountain landscapes to Chinese cultural icons, and more recently to iconoclastic images of the Visa logo, currency symbols and military parades composed by myriads of overlaid ink dots with an effect of eerie 3-D. He is a member of the Chinese Artists’ Association and currently lives in Beijing.


BIOGRAPHY
1960    Born in Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, China
1986    Graduated from the Chinese Painting Department, People’s Liberation Army Fine Arts Academy, Beijing, China
2019    Established a studio in Shanghai, China
Present     Lives and works in Beijing, China
Member of the Chinese Artists’ Association

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
  • Nan Qi Nan Qi, Renke Art, Hangzhou, China
  • Lei Feng in Yangzhou: Nan Qi's Artistic Research & Exhibition, Lake Cottage, Yangzhou, China

  • Two Brothers Solo Exhibition, Jindu Art Centre, Beijing, China

2021

  • Paddy Waves and Nine Peaks, T-art Space, Shanghai, China

2019
 2017

  • Ink.Dot.Pop the Art of Nan Qi, The Luxe Art Museum, Singapore

2016

  • Art Home: Power of Dots, Green Art Asia, Basel, Switzerland

2015  
  • New Era Ink: An Exhibition of Works by Nan Qi, The Luxe Art Museum, Singapore
  • Nan Qi Contemporary Ink Exhibition, Art Plural Gallery, Singapore
  • Art Car: Car, Power, Sex Pop-Up Exhibition, Green Art Asia, Hong Kong
2014  
  • Source Point: Nan Qi Contemporary Ink Exhibition, Shanghai Dingyi Fund, Shanghai, China
2013   
  • Power. Sex. Money. A Solo Exhibition by Nan Qi, Art Plural Gallery, Singapore
2012  
  • London 2012 China Art Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom
2011  
  • Digital Ink Images: Art by Nan Qi, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China
  • Eerie 3-D: 3-D Ink Art by Nan Qi, G-Dot Art Space, Beijing, China
2006   
  • Ink and Sex Series: Works by Nan Qi, Yisulang Art Gallery, Singapore
1998
  • Landscape and Seascape: Nan Qi Ink Painting Exhibition, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong       
1997  
  • Ink Paintings by Nan Qi, Shanghart Gallery, Shanghai, China                          
1989  
  • Landscape Paintings by Nan Qi, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 

2023-2024      

  • City Lights: Shanghai Urban Household Gallery Era Special Art Exhibition, Yun Art Centre, Shanghai, China

2023  

2022  

  • Language and Speech: An Exhibition Experiment Rooted in Linguistic Structure, Songzhuang Contemporary Art Archive, Beijing, China
  • Shanghai Urban Contemporary Sculpture and Installation Expo, Shanghai, China

2020

2019

2018

  • New Ink Art in China 1978-2017, Minsheng Art Museum, Beijing, China
  • Ink Change: Invitational Exhibition of Experimental Ink Art, Art Museum of School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
  • Tradition and Change: A Dialogue in the Process of Ink Painting, Zhu Qizhan Art Museum, Shanghai, China
  • Spearhead: Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Ink, Ming Yuan Art Museum, Shanghai, China
  • Manifesto of Neo-Modern Ink Art, G-Dot Art Space, Beijing, China
2017   
 2016
  • Being and Inking: Documenting Contemporary Ink Art 2001-2016, Redtory Museum of Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, China
  • The Figures in Ink Painting, Art Museum of School of Fine Arts, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
  • Contemporary Chinese Ink Almanac Exhibition 2015-2016, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
  • 9th Shenzhen International Ink Biennial, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
  • 1st Invitational Exhibition of Emei International Contemporary Art, Emei Contemporary Art Museum, Sichuan, China
2015   
  • Like/Not Like: Contemporary Ink Exhibition, Wuhan Art Space, Wuhan, China
  • Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Art, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India; Bangladesh National Museum, Dhaka, Bangladesh 
2014   
  • Western Clouds and Eastern Language: Chinese Contemporary Art Research Exhibition, He Art Museum, Wuhan, China
  • Ethereal Dimness: New Water Ink Research Series, Avant-Garde Contemporary Art Centre, Nanjing, China
  • In Retrospect: Contemporary Ink Exhibition, Art Space 21, Shanghai, China
2013   
  • Water and Ink Methods: Chinese Academic Invitational Exhibition, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
  • Re-Portrait: Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan, China
  • Ink Articles: The Creation of Cultural Context, Wuhan Art Museum, Wuhan, China
  • Freehand China: Mostra Degli Artisti Nominati Cina Contemporanea Dei Quadri Ad Inchiostri, Casa Dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy
  • Way: Contemporary Ink Art Exhibition, Ming Yuan Art Museum, Shanghai, China
  • Re-Ink: Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Ink Painting 2000-2012, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
  • In Retrospect: An Exhibition of Works by Nan Qi, Cai Guangbin and Zhang Quan, G-Dot Art Space, Beijing, China
  • Re-History: Contemporary Chinese Art Invitational Touring Exhibition, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen; G-Dot Art Space, Beijing; Today Art Museum, Beijing, China                                
  • New Dimensions in Ink: 1st Nomination Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Ink, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
2012   
  • Re-History: Contemporary Chinese Art Invitational Touring Exhibition, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen; Hubei Art Museum, Hubei, China                          
2011   
  • Art Beijing, Chinese Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China     
2010  
  • 4th Beijing International Art Biennial, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China  
  • China International Gallery Expo, China World Trade Centre, Beijing, China  
  • Art Beijing, Chinese Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China  
  • Beijing Biennial 2010, Caochangdi Gallery of Art, Beijing, China  
  • Through History Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition, G-Dot Art Space, Beijing, China  
2009   
  • Historical Image Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen; Hubei Art Museum, Hubei; China
  • International Gallery Expo, China World Trade Centre, Beijing, China
  • Art Beijing, Chinese Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China    
2008   
  • 3rd Beijing International Art Biennial, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China    
  • Songzhuang Life Autumn Exhibition, Songzhuang Art Centre, Beijing, China    
  • Catharsis Invitational Exhibition, JiuChang Art, Beijing, China    
  • Ink/Not Ink: Chinese Contemporary Ink Painting Invitational Exhibition, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen; Today Art Museum, Beijing, China; Kimmel Center of Performing Arts, Philadelphia, United States
  • 6th Shenzhen International Ink Biennial, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China    
  • Asia in Harmony: 23rd Asian International Art Exhibition, City Art Museum of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Guangzhou, China    
  • Contemporary Figurative Chinese Ink Painting Invitational Exhibition, Ming Yuan Art Museum, Shanghai, China    
  • Art Beijing, Chinese Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing, China    
  • Chinese Desires: Li Jin, Wu Yi, Nan Qi, The Luxe Art Museum, Singapore
2007
  • 3rd Chengdu Biennial, Contemporary Art Museum, Chengdu, China
  • 2nd Invitational Exhibition of Songzhuang Ink Painters Society, Songzhuang East Arts Centre, Beijing, China
2006   
  • 2nd Exhibition of Chinese Art Today, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China                               
  • Contemporary Ink Invitational Exhibition, Songzhuang East Arts Centre, Beijing, China
  • Ink and Sex Invitational Exhibition, Jiuchang Art, Beijing, China                                     
  • Waves: Contemporary Chinese Ink and Wash Methods, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin, China        
  • Chinese Ink and Wash Documenta 1976-2006, Nanjing National Museum, Nanjing, China
2005 
  • 2nd Beijing International Art Biennial, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China 
  • Extreme Brushwork۰Art Guideline: Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Today Art Museum, Beijing, China   
2004 
  • New Expressionist: Chinese Ink Painting Invitational Exhibition, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
  • Ink/Wash and the City: 4th Shenzhen International Ink Painting Biennial, Shenzhen Art Museum, Shenzhen, China  
  • New Works by Six New Expressionist Chinese Painters, Yisulang Art Gallery, Singapore
2003   
  • 1st Beijing International Art Biennial, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
  • New Expressionist: Chinese Ink Painting Invitational Exhibition, Yan Huang Art Museum, Beijing, China
2002   
  • 3rd Shenzhen International Ink Painting Biennial: Ink/Wash and the City, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
2000  
  • 2nd Shenzhen International Ink Painting Biennial: Ink/Wash and the City, Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
1990   
  • Exhibition of Chinese Paintings by Liu Dawei and Nan Qi, Art Gallery of Changfugong Hotel, Beijing, China
1987   
  • Celebratory Exhibition of 60th Anniversary of People’s Liberation Army, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

SELECTED AWARDS
2018 Cultural and Artistic Outstanding Contribution Award, International Olympic Committee Samaranch Foundation, Shanghai, China
2003 2nd Golden Prize Exhibition of Chinese Art Excellence Award, Yanhuang Art Museum, Beijing, China
2002 European International Fine Arts Exchange Contribution Award, Rotterdam, Netherlands               
2000 Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau 2000 Art Exhibition Best Work Award, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 
1999 9th Chinese National Art Exhibition Excellence Award, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China      
1996 19th Japanese International Art Exhibition Special Association Award, Ginza Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan
1988 Great Wall Exhibition Second Prize, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
1987 Celebratory Exhibition of 60th Anniversary of People’s Liberation Army Excellence Award, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

SELECTED COLLECTIONS 
The Luxe Art Museum, Singapore
Foundation of Chinese Art Development, Singapore
National Museum of China, Beijing, China
China Huaneng Group, Beijing, China
Wuhan Art Museum, Wuhan, China
UBS AG Shanghai, China
Consul General of Switzerland in Shanghai, China
Consul General of France in Shanghai, China
Autumn Water Art Foundation, Shanghai, China
Burger Collection, Hong Kong
The Timide Maus Collection Art Foundation, Hong Kong
Lohas Park, Nan Fung, Hong Kong