Environmental concern
Shi Qing uses installations to explore different ways of looking back at Chinese history, in particular its recent modernization. His latest solo exhibition, Halfway House, examines the historical factors that have shaped today's social and economic developments.
The installation Factory consists of several furniture-sized industrial buildings in the layout of a typical factory from the time of the planned economy in the 1970s and 80s. In the installation Farm, the artist transforms a household balcony into a micro-farm, drawn upon urban life from the same era. This latter unit is in stark contrast with the excesses of industrial production and is the artist's way of criticizing what he sees as today's over-consumption and environmental damage.
Born in 1969 in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Shi Qing bases his artistic creations on extensive research in symbolism, urban politics, globalization and cultural consumption. He has exhibited at home and abroad, including the Guangzhou Triennial (China, 2005), Santa Fe Biennale (US, 2008), Prague Biennale (Czech Republic, 2005) and Busan Biennale (South Korea, 2004).