ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Cui Jinzhe, pen name Qiu Shi, painter, multidisciplinary artist whose practice is fundamentally based on painting & writing, Chinese calligraphy, and interdisciplinary practice. Jinzhe was born and raised in Dalian, China. She was obsessed with drawing, singing and dancing since her early childhood. In 2008, Jinzhe came to Canada where her work has been focusing on wisdom & creativity enlightenment, community prosperity and cultural integration through artistic practice.

Jinzhe mingles Chinese ancient blessing patterns and traditional Chinese symbolic totems. She also uses graphics on ancient Chinese costumes and silk embroidery and historical artifacts, reconstructing them with a contemporary emotional incarnation. Jinzhe redrew history from a modern perspective so that people nowadays can empathize with history. As Benedetto Croce said, “All history is contemporary history.” Her art works create a metaphor for the concept that there is an invisible reality may have occurred in the past, recur in the future, or may be happening in this world at present. It also implies her intuitive sensation and imagination about the origin of life. The integration of diverse elements Jinzhe examines has a traditional origin; for example, the image of the Chinese dragon. It’s shape is composed of nine animals: its head resembles a camel’s, its horns resemble those of a deer, its eyes resemble those of a rabbit, its ears resemble a cow’s, its neck resembles a snake’s, its belly resembles a serpent, its squama resembles a carp’s, its claws resemble those of an eagle and its palms resemble those of a tiger. This type of art genre uses compound forms of multiple graphics and is like Lover’s Whisper which uses a modern perspective to narrate the misty, looming eternal love of mankind!

A yearning for ancient heritage as well as the imagination for future, Jinzhe’s art practice, everyday life, and inner aspiration are realized and challenged. Her practice often developed from traditional Chinese art genre, then expressed in contemporary multimedia language and her individual artistic styles. In recent years, she is passionate to examine the boundaries between painting, installation and experimental performances. Her work often evokes experience of presence and inquiries inner space exploration. Jinzhe’s work has been collected by Hemera Foundation, Xucun Art Museum, Edmonton Arts Council, City of Saskatoon, Wuyang Folk Painting Commune, Society of Northern Alberta Print-Artists, Dalian Polytechnic University, University of Alberta Museums, Edmonton Chinatown Chinese Library, and numerous private collectors.

Deep thanks to Canada Council for the Arts, Edmonton Arts Council, City of Edmonton, Edmonton Heritage Council, Saskatchewan Arts Board, Government of Saskatchewan, City of Saskatoon, Access Copyright Foundation, Hemera Foundation, Zen Mountain Monastery, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, Mactarggart Collection, Bruce Peel Special Collections, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Siddhartha's Intent and everyone like you who have made Jinzhe' s various projects possible and be seen.

Deep thanks to the traditional land on which I reside, is in Treaty Six Territory. Many thanks to the love, kindness and wisdom of the people on this land from the bottom of my heart.

Deep thanks to all awakened ones in all time and space who hold and inspire me to practice art as the nourishment for all beings' liberation and enlightenment.