「Colourfulness｜Qian Wu Solo Exhibition」Opening Ceremony

At the China-Europe-America Global Initiative, we place significant emphasis on the involvement of youth. Within the framework of the China-Europe-America Museums Cooperation Initiative, we have engaged in discussions regarding the pivotal role museums play in nurturing creativity. On this particular occasion, we take pride in our support for an exhibition featuring the works of Mr. Qian Wu at the Tianjin Museum.

"Colourfulness | Qian Wu Solo Exhibition" is Qian Wu’s first solo exhibition in a museum. It displays more than twenty new "Color Series" mixed-media paintings for the first time. From 2011 to the present, Qian Wu has continuously created three series using the color as a theme- "Ink Series", "Blue Series" and "Emerald Series". The "Color Series" exhibited for the first time in this exhibition is his fourth and final series with color as a theme.

Color Series

Mr. Wu's abstract paintings amalgamate elements from both Chinese and Western traditions, offering a unique perspective that adeptly navigates the delicate balance between opposing forces such as deconstruction and reconstruction, as well as order and disorder. His art transcends mere discourse on creativity; it embodies a dynamic and organic creative process.

Hailing from Xiamen, Qian Wu, a young Chinese contemporary artist, further enriched his artistic pursuits through studies in New York. His work has already garnered acclaim across Europe, underscoring his growing influence and relevance in the global art scene.

Academic Moderator: Louis Godart, Former Cultural Advisor of three Italian Presidents

The temporality of painting creation is reflected in the flow of the picture; the spatiality of painting creation is manifested in the sense of conflict in the picture. The "Color Series” exhibited in "Colourfulness | Qian Wu Solo Exhibition" points to the temporality and spatiality of painting at the same time. The "Color Series" paintings are another stunning work of his after the "Ink Series", "Blue Series" and "Green Series". Compared to the other 3 series, this series has more psychedelic qualities. Between the "hot abstraction" represented by Kandinsky and the "cold abstraction" represented by Mondrian, Qian Wu explores the use of dramatic conflict-like contradictions as the main power of expression, which is both lyrical and calm with a sense of fervency beneath. I would like to call it a "hot expression of cold abstraction".

Curator: Marco Biscione, President of the Scientific Board of the Museum of Cultures, Lugano | Former Director, Museum of Oriental Art, Turin

The theme of the exhibition "Colourfulness" is an intuitive expression of the color series, which can also be interpreted as “vividness”. It is intended to further express the artist’s thoughts on "seeing an order from disorder and reconstructing through deconstruction". Qian Wu is good at using the composition and the changes in the shades of colors to make the painting flow and effectively express its inner emotions. His paintings that incorporate Chinese lyrics and pay homage to the classics of Western art to a certain extent are more like an attempt to extend the boundaries of expression of his previous abstract paintings. 

The artist's sensitivity, his training and his openness to different worlds make his art an extraordinary bridge between great artistic traditions. In his works, art becomes a powerful tool for relationships between different cultures and for universal communication. Through the "Color Series" exhibited in "Colourfulness | Qian Wu’s Exhibition", Qian Wu further expresses his reflection on art, his love for life, and his yearning for freedom.

Artist: Qian Wu

Born in Xiamen, China, graduated from the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis at New York University, and received a master’s degree from the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University. From 2011 to 2016, he studied at the Art Students League of New York. He completed the first advanced research class on abstract art at Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2020. From 2021 to 2022 he served as a visiting scholar at the China National Academy of Painting and held solo exhibitions in cities such as New York, London, Venice and Milan.

He has received the 40th Florence Prize for Literature and Art-Gold Medal in the Painting Category, the 17th Arte Laguna Prize-Emerging Artists Award, the 13th Top Ten Outstanding Chinese American Youth Award. He was selected for Forbes China·Global 100 Outstanding Chinese (2022), Forbes 30 Under 30 China list (2021), the Annual Young Artist of the “Robb Report Best of the Best” (2020).