Cui Jie's Architectural Paintings Reconfigure China's Urban Landscape
Cui Jie’s architectural paintings explore urban landscapes through painterly textures, drawing inspiration from post-1978 Chinese architecture, Le Corbusier's Modernism, and Japan's Metabolism. Her 2014 piece, Zhao Wei Building, employs huoshaoyun effects created with masking tape. The Ground Invading Figures series (2012–15) focused on negative space, while Building of Cranes (2014) combines elements from a Dongguan sculpture with a Beijing telecom structure. Describing her work as 'sinofuturist,' Cui captures the spatial disorientation prevalent in Chinese cities. Many of the buildings she documents are at risk of demolition due to reurbanization. In 2018, she showcased her first exhibition with Lee Kit, introducing human figures. Based in Shanghai, she has exhibited at OCAT Shenzhen (2018) and Mother's Tankstation, Dublin (2016). Venus Lau serves as the artistic director at K11 Art Foundation.
Key facts
- Cui Jie creates architectural paintings combining fragments with dusty-pastel palettes
- Her work draws from post-1978 Chinese architecture and Le Corbusier's Modernism
- She cites Orson Welles's montage techniques as inspiration
- Many buildings in her archive face demolition due to rapid reurbanization
- Her paintings typically exclude human figures until her 2018 exhibition with Lee Kit
- She participated in the 2018 front International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art
- Cui lives and works in Shanghai
- Venus Lau is artistic director at K11 Art Foundation, Shanghai
Entities
Artists
- Cui Jie
- Lee Kit
- Le Corbusier
- Orson Welles
- Venus Lau
Institutions
- OCAT Shenzhen
- Mother's Tankstation
- front International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art
- K11 Art Foundation
- ArtReview Asia
Locations
- Shanghai
- China
- Dublin
- Ireland
- Shenzhen
- Cleveland
- United States
- Pearl River Delta
- Dongguan
- Beijing