He Qi

This is the first time the Nina Bliese Gallery is exhibiting the Chinese artist He Qi's (pronounced huh chee) colorful religious paintings and prints. He creates powerful iconographic narratives from both the Old and New Testaments and blends them with Asian folk influences. During the Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party sent Qi and his family to a communal farm. There he was tutored by his father's colleague, the former dean of art at Nanjing University. After a day of backbreaking manual labor pulling an oxcart, Qi spent his evenings acquiring the basics of sketching and oil painting. An opportunity arose in the form of a competition to paint Chairman Mao's official portrait, Qi readily entered his painting in order to avoid the heavy labor in the fields. Qi won the contest. Art and faith have propelled He Qi into ever widening circles - from a doctorate at Nanjing University to studies at Hamburg Art Institute. His biblical paintings and silk tapestries have brought him international recognition. Qi has been awarded many prestigious prizes and honors, including the 20th Century Award for Achievement in the field of Religious Art Theory and Christian Art Creation from the International Biographical Centre, UK, and an honorary doctorate from Australian Catholic University. His first visit to the US was as a Visiting Artist at Luther Seminary in 1997. He has exhibited in Toronto, London, Geneva, Tel Aviv, the Vatican, Hong Kong, Kyoto, and mainland China.