Front Cover: Qiu Xiaofei.
Utopia (detail). 2010. Oil on
canvas. 118⅛ x 157½ inches.
Courtesy of the artist and Beijing
Commune.
Qiu Xiaofei creates art in which
the real and the imagined coexist
in tension within a single space.
Curator Barbara Pollock describes
Utopia in the exhibition catalog:
“In the center is a figure with
outstretched arm, echoing the
statues of Mao that punctuate the
city. But here the statue is headless,
a leader without direction,
standing under a gray sky pouring
down debris. It is a deeply
cynical image and is a pointed response
to the many planned utopias
in Chinese modern history,
many of which led to the death
of millions. Even today, as China
plans contemporary super-cities,
these places promising utopian
lifestyles have in reality moved
millions from the countryside
into alienating, modern environments.”
As with the best of recent
Chinese art, the themes resonate
beyond China and speak of global
issues. Utopian ideals and dystopian
realities abound in conflicts
in Syria and throughout the Middle
East. And, of course, the gap
between the real and the ideal is
felt in much of contemporary literature
as well as in visual art.
