| Tally Beck on Sheng Qi
Beijing-based artist Sheng Qi is probably best known for his act of |
|
Tally Beck on Sheng Qi
Beijing-based artist Sheng Qi is probably best known for his act of personal defiance following the events in Tiananmen Square in June 1989: he cut off the little finger of his left hand. Since then, he has incorporated the image and concept of this self-mutilation into his work, which includes photography, painting, sculpture, and performance art. His recent work continues in the vein of subtle but firm subversion and quiet political protest.
Sheng Qi’s visual language of deconstruction comes to the forefront in his newest exhibition, on view Red Gate Gallery until mid-November, entitled History in Black and Red. Basing his acrylic paintings on found images—particularly media images of Chinese political celebrations, he employs a technique of image repetition to create semiotic complexity. Parade in Tiananmen Square is a large diptych based on a photograph from Xinhua News Agency that depicts the official celebration of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China that took place on October 1, 1999. The same image is repeated on both panels; the left is painted monochromatically in shades of red and the right in black-and-white. Sheng Qi applies the paint to drip from top to bottom, creating a mood of violence and sadness that is underscored by his choice of palette.
