Tongji Philip Qian 钱同济

Across 36 grids, thick oil-stick marks sit on top of lines made with pigment marker. Tongji Philip Qian made this work as he reflected on the Shanghai Biennale 2000, a landmark exhibition of international contemporary art that happened in his hometown before the start of his art career. As he put it, “I was there, but I wasn’t there.” Qian transcribed quotations from artists and curators about the exhibition within each grid, writing one character on top of the other. In this way, Qian resists legibility and the historicization of contemporary Chinese art.

–Conor Moynihan, associate curator of prints, drawings, and photographs