Chen Qiulin: Migration

Location: Long March Space, Beijing (formerly known as 25000 Cultural Transmission Center)

Duration: July 23 – August 20, 2006

Artist Statement

Real life experiences have always been be basis for my work. As such, over the past few years, my work has been closely connected with changes in the urban environment. When I was young I always felt that my life was intricately linked to urban change. When construction of the Three Gorges Dam began, my hometown was directly affected. My hometown is very small, an insignificant speck in the entire construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Those familiar sites of buildings, streets, and friends have slowly faded from memory. A roaring river has become a shimmering placid lake. There are millions who solemnly face starting a new life in a different city, and millions of new apartment construction projects suddenly rising out of the ground. My hometown has already become a giant construction site, but perhaps it is only a small snapshot of the urbanization process occurring throughout China. I am just a witness and observer, using my own eyes and experiences to record this period in history which I have once experienced.

Artist Statement

Real life experiences have always been be basis for my work. As such, over the past few years, my work has been closely connected with changes in the urban environment. When I was young I always felt that my life was intricately linked to urban change. When construction of the Three Gorges Dam began, my hometown was directly affected. My hometown is very small, an insignificant speck in the entire construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Those familiar sites of buildings, streets, and friends have slowly faded from memory. A roaring river has become a shimmering placid lake. There are millions who solemnly face starting a new life in a different city, and millions of new apartment construction projects suddenly rising out of the ground. My hometown has already become a giant construction site, but perhaps it is only a small snapshot of the urbanization process occurring throughout China. I am just a witness and observer, using my own eyes and experiences to record this period in history which I have once experienced.