Sheng QI

Sheng Qi is a contemporary artist born in 1989 in China at Anhui. He begins his career by studying at the prestigious art academy of beaux-arts in China.

But why is he famous? At first, he was recognised as the precursor of performance in China. He was brilliant in this domain. So he won prizes and also in photography. But Sheng Qi continues his practice by doing engaged art.

His art reflects the pain of a population subjected to authority and forced to suffer. His artistic vocation has for ambition to express the feelings of the Chinese. By the body language, the culture or the Chinese history. In other forms of photography like paint or sculpture. Contrary to the Chinese politic, he will not use violence to which it is opposed. But he will use meaningful messages with creativity and provocation.

” My art is my memory. I’m not only an artist. I’m a watcher and a history recorder. I use my paintbrush to record Chinese history during my life since 1965. These events are very important because they influence hundreds of millions of Chinese. They made my life. So I continue to record as sincerely I can. In black and red”

Indeed all his works have one thing in common: red and black. Two dominant colours connoted, black for serious, formal, high functions. Red, however, has a different connotation than in the West. In China, it expresses something joyful and good luck, used for big events like the New Year. It can also refer to blood and anger as in the West in other photography.