― Alfred de Vigny, Stello

Qin Feng is a man of humility - question him on his achievements, describe his fame - and he will answer you with a few modest words. However, ask him of his home and farmland, and he will speak profusely, ask him of his children and his eyes will break into a crinkled smile. He is a simple man; with fine skill, it must be agreed, but a simple man nonetheless. Brimming forth from the surface of his courteous and soft-spoken exterior is a looming intensity that lends to the creation of towering works of stunning strokes, leaping from canvas to canvas in a musical dance of emotion and expression - a clash of cymbals, a flourish of poetry and a splash of enigmatic ink. 

Where did it all begin? 

From humble origins. Growing up as a shepherd boy in Xinjiang, China, Qin Feng and his family held distant images of grandeur which stemmed from relations to emperors and his father being deeply involved with the Chinese Revolution. Qin Feng’s thirst to learn and create art was rendered almost unattainable, due to a lack of resources at his disposal. The artist still remembers the feeling of possessing a tiny sum of money that could barely support his survival, let alone his education. Working from these unpleasant memories in order to prevent others from undergoing the same suffering and turmoil that he once faced, Qin Feng gives away much of his earnings to support the development of art. To the best of his capabilities, he wants to help alleviate the burden of struggling artists. Qin Feng craves innovation and revolution, believing that distinctive and refreshing styles must be encouraged and inculcated into the mantra of future artists. This desire is further strengthened by his founding of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Beijing in 2007. A thriving institution of art and development, MOCA Beijing is a proud feather in the hat of the artist in his pursuit for creation and revolution.

Revolution is a word that strikes a chord with Qin Feng - it is a resounding part of his family’s history. Qin Feng is inspired by the rebellious ink artist Bada Shanren and, like his source of inspiration, faced his own hurdles of backlash and cultural rigidity. In the midst of his rising career, his ability to reside in his home country was compromised and he chose to move to the United States where he continued, with renewed fervour, to pursue his artistic expression. Armed with the sensibilities of Chinese ink and exposure to German Expressionism from his time spent in Berlin, Qin Feng rose to prominence with his transformative work that crossed boundaries of countries, language and culture - encapsulating society, desires and states of being with lyrical swipes and strokes of ink. Unconstrained by what had traditionally been done, the artist worked with paper, cloth, ceramics, installations, acrylics and even creating his own inks, brushes and paper in his experimental pursuits. Drawing widespread attention and acclaim, he has risen to be amongst the highest-regarded names in contemporary ink art.

So what is Qin Feng’s art really about? Is it about technical explorations, emotions, expression, deeper significances? Is it about Chinese ink, or modern expressionism? It is about them all. Qin Feng’s art is a medley of philosophy and skill - an artistic combination of cultural energies that pay tribute to each other and erase divisions. They constitute a wealth of expression which is barely constrained by the large frames he uses, inspiring awe and an outpouring of emotion; silently communicating with all who open their minds to them. They are testaments to his past and inspirations for the future, they are rife with painful struggles and resplendent with hope and innovation. Qin Feng’s works are filled with spirit and move beyond visuals and technicalities of style. Like the man himself, they refuse to be bound by their medium, surging forward with pulsating energy to inspire movement and contemplation, connecting inextricably with viewers in poignant revelations of undying ink.