ABOUT

"Artist Xixi Qian (b.1996) from Wenzhou, China, currently resides in London, UK. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London, and a Master's degree in Printmaking from the Royal Academy of Arts. Sponsored by the Gatehouse Chamber project and represented by AUC ART, Xixi has exhibited at galleries like Southwark Park Gallery and Boomer Art Gallery, earning the second prize at the Boomer Art Prize 2023. Her work reflects her hometown's influence, exploring macro-social production relations. Xixi enjoys the mechanical process of printmaking, likening it to her family's industrial background, while embracing the freedom of artistic inspiration. Her prints portray the symbiotic relationship between plants and Wenzhou's social dynamics, influenced by Deleuze and Guattari's 'A Thousand Plateaus' and anthropologist Xiang Biao's insights. She juxtaposes controlled etching with watercolor to symbolize the contrast between nature's purity and societal complexities.Xixi’s introspective approach extends to her series on femininity, inspired by her mother's experiences as a factory owner and societal expectations. Balancing tradition with modernity, her work delves into cross-cultural reflections on social structures and gender roles."