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"Time" is a series of works by bamboo carving artist Qi Zhu, who uses bamboo as his medium to create carvings on its surface. The initial inspiration for this series came from the 2023 special exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. As one of the most successful artists in the past century to emerge from China and gain global recognition, Zao Wou-Ki carried throughout his life a distinctive Chinese artistic language in his work. During his first visit to the exhibition, Qi Zhu was deeply moved by the vivid color contrasts, intense emotional expression, and raw, powerful texture of the paint on the canvas—emotions compressed into a concentrated form that then erupted forcefully through color and layering, resonating repeatedly in his mind. Traditionally, bamboo carving has been regarded as a classical Chinese art form, drawing inspiration from traditional calligraphy and painting. As a derivative of these visual arts, bamboo carving has always relied heavily on pre-existing models or drafts. However, Zao Wou-Ki’s paintings offered a new perspective—"transforming emotion directly into texture, rather than representing it through concrete imagery." This idea struck like a scalpel, precisely cutting to the core of a long-held vision Qi Zhu had never realized before. Having dedicated many years to bamboo carving, especially focusing on themes drawn from ancient inscribed stones and bronzes, Qi Zhu has extensive experience handling ancient artifacts. Compared to bamboo carvings based on calligraphy or painting, those inspired by bronze and stone require deep engagement with historical objects, allowing him to feel acutely how time alters an object over centuries. With these insights, the two artistic sensibilities quickly merged. His long-standing contemplation of "time" finally found a tangible way to be expressed in his work. Thus, the Time Series represents an exploration aimed at breaking free from the constraints imposed by content in traditional bamboo carving. The bronze vessels depicted in the works serve as carriers—or gateways—through which the concept of "time" is conveyed, linking viewers to a profound sense of temporal passage.
Xi Fu Ding Zhi: An early Western Zhou (or late Shang) dynasty bronze wine vessel, featuring bird-beak-like climbing dragons on the lid and base ring, double-bodied dragon patterns around the neck, and high-relief dragon heads with columnar horns prominently displayed on the body. Between the dragon motifs on the lid are protruding animal heads.
Shen Jian was born in Shanghai in 1963. He began creating carvings on various materials in 1990; and since 2000 has focused primarily on bamboo as his medium. He currently lives and works in Shanghai.
Taking ancient bronze and stone artifacts as themes for his bamboo carvings, Shen Jian builds upon traditional techniques of seal carving and bamboo engraving by incorporating a wide range of elements from the broader field of epigraphy and archaeology. He redefines the creative logic of bamboo carving by emphasizing deeper material expression across different components. Starting in 2023, he launched his "Time" series, using Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzes as subjects. Through this work, he traces the marks left by time on objects back to a sensory experience of time itself, exploring the relationship between traces and temporality.
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