Qikai Guo 郭骐恺
Born in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in 1994, a cochlear implant deaf.
Lives and works in Venice and Kunming.
At the age of two he underwent a cochlear implant which accompanies him in his life and learning path, first at the art high school in China, Yunnan Academy of Arts, and later in his move to Italy to continue studying art in Highe Education. He attended courses for the First and Second Level Academic Diploma in Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, obtaining the master's degree with honors in 2022. In the academic year 2022-2023 and assignee of the Ateliers at the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation.
In Guo Qikai works’ a strong communicative urgency is immediately perceived, which led him to develop a pictorial language that rmly sticks to the dream-like representation of his thoughts and fears. His hearing impediment binds the artist into silence and darkness, a mysterious and frightening world within which the artist’s discomfort increases, and expands throughout his body. A powerful spiritual dimension is evident in Qikai’s work, his inner thoughts exploding with purity in a dream-like, surreal world, made up of mysterious gures suspended in another dimension. The ctional imaginary of the unconscious where past and present experience merge, are translated in his canvases inhabited by enigmatic gures, abstract shapes that always carry with them a profound iconological meaning. The world he recreates in his work is animated by ashes of light that pierce the darkness in which they are immersed, while bringing comfort to these small folkloristic microcosms. Reality and ction, light and shadow, memory and imagination, fear and joy, art history and stories, are blended together in a continuous search for balance, a pictorial portrayal of the yin and yang philosophy, at the centre of many cultural aspects of Chinese life and Italian life, while creating an alienating and horrish world that pushes the viewers towards a deeply personal journey.
EDUCATION
2015 - 2018
Bachelor degree in Fine Arts (BFA), Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, IT
2018 - 2022
Masters degree in Fine Arts (MFA), Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, IT
ART RESIDENCIES
2022 - 2023 Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Via Giudecca 620, Venice, IT
2022 Vulcano Agency, Padiglione Antares, Venice, IT
2015 - 2016 Atelier 3+10, Venice, IT
SOLO AND DUO EXHIBITIONS
2021
Ethereal Soul, Marialuisa Tadei and Qikai Guo, curated by Marco Dolfin, Il Giardino Bianco Art Space, Venice, IT
ART FAIRS
2023
Art Shenzhen, booth of the Bonian Space, Shenzhen, China
Arte Fiera Bologna, curated by Angelo Moya Garcia, booth of the Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Bologna, IT
2022
Will-o‘-The-wisp, three artists by Tom Bull, Francesco Pacelli and Guo Qikai, curated by Maria Valeria Biondo and Vittoria Martinotti, booth of the DES BAINS, The Others Art Fair, Turin, IT
Rea ! Art Fair, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan, IT
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 Rapsodia Dell'Abbondanza, curated by Caterina Fondelli, C.F. Contemporary Fire and Spazio Murka, Florence, IT
Mestre Painting Award, a centro culturale Canadian di Mestre, Venice, IT
Didnysus, Dake Art Gallery, Chengdu, China
Clarity is close to the sun, Venice Curatorial Course, Sala del Camino Giudecca, Venice, IT
Printmaking Happening, LINLI Art Space, Venice, IT
Prelude to the backflow, curated by Wang Yaoli, Bonian Space, 798 Art Zone, Beijing, China
Seeing from outside, Seeing from inside, curated by Angelo Moya Garcia, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Gallery of piazza San Marco, Venice, IT
Troubled Waters, 10 winners of the Rea Arte Prize, Rea Arte, Lampo Milan, Milan, IT
105th Young Artists Collective, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Gallery of Piazza San Marco, Venice, IT
Sunny Art Centre, 30 Gray's Inn Rd, London, UK
2022 Mestre Painting Award, a centro culturale Canadian di Mestre, Venice, IT
104th Young Artists collective, Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation, Gallery of Piazza San Marco, Venice, IT
3,2,1, StArt!, 10+4 artisti emergenti in mostra, centro culturale Altinate San Gaetano, Padova, IT
Extra Ordinario, workshop a mostra curated by Carlo di Raco, Nico Covre, Daniele Capra and Martino Scavezzon, Padiglione Antares, Marghera, IT
Art Night Venice, “Sogno o Son Desto”, curated by Claudia Cappello, Acdemy of Fine Arts of Venice atelier 16, Venice,IT
Premio Combat, segnalato nel catalogo del premio, IT
FIIC 2022 The game of parts, Foyer art exhibitions, Spazio Foyer, Trento, IT
Jackson’s Painting Prize, People's Choice Awards, 400 nomination per artist d'art, online, UK
1th edition of the Biennial di Todi, Year of Italy-China culture, curated by Diego Costantini, Roberta Giulieni and Yongxu Wang, Todi, IT
2021 Start_Padova studies for Art, exhibition of the finalists, Studio Alcor, Padua, IT
The Ecstasy of Darkness, Group Exhibition, curated by Cao Cheng and Zhong Qiyang， Associazione Si Giovanni Artisti (ASGA), Milan, IT
Competition for Chinese and Italian youth on artistic and design works, AAIE Center for Contemporary Art, Online, Rome, IT
Skyline, Villa Venino, A60 Contemporary Art Space, Novate Milanese, Milan, IT
Skyline, International Exhibition, A60 Contemporary Art Space, Milan, IT
La Terra Quieta, Sino-Italian Biennial Young Art, online, China
Ilaria Ciardi Award, Ravenna Academy of Fine Arts, Ravenna, IT
2020 1th First engraving, curated by Fu Sen and Liu Yuewenjia, Kezuo Art Space, Venice, IT
2019 Paolina Brugnatelli Foundation, Academy of Fine Arts of Bologna, Bologna, IT
Paolina Brugnatelli Foundation, Forte Marghera, Venice, IT
Art night Venezia, No one is too small to make a difference, curated by Diana Ferrara, Academy of fine arts of Venice room 5, Venice, IT
6th Biennial of Contemporary Engraving and Graphics, Civic Museums Bassano del Grappa, Bassano del Grappa, IT
Charm and Curiosity of the Animal World in Art by Elena Roberto, Academy of Fine Arts of Venice, Venice, IT
Mini Print Paese Exchange, International exhibition of art graphics, Villa Panizza n.6, Paese TV, IT
2018 Award for Cerimonia of conferimento, Sora, IT
Mestre Painting Award, at the candiani cultural center in Mestre, Venice, IT
Art night Venice, At the lights almost off, curated Diana Ferrara, academy of fine arts of Venice room 5, Venice, IT
Art night Venice, High Density, art frees the night. Salt Warehouse 3 Dorsoduro 264, Venice, IT
2017 Mestre Painting Award, D’E.M. Venice Art Gallery, Venice, IT
2016 Made in Venice, Enas Elkorashy, Venice, IT
Atelier 3 + 10, with the theme Contents in Continents, Mestre, IT
2015 Atelier 3 + 10, with the open studio theme, Mestre, IT
AWARDS
2023
2022
2021
2021
2019
2017
2013
2013
Mestre Painting Award, Third prize, Venice, IT
Rea! Art Fair, Milan, IT
Competition for Chinese and Italian youth on artistic and design works, Excellence award, Rome, IT
Special prize “Ilaria Ciardi”, Ravenna, IT
Paolino Brugnatelli Foundation artistic prize, first place in the prize, Venice, IT
Recommended work Mestre Painting Award, Venice, IT
Gold prize at the 9th National Competition "High school artistic talent", Beijing, CN
Winner of the National Competition "the dream world of Chinese youth", Kunming, CN
WORK EXPERIENCE
2018 The 16th Venice Biennale of Architecture and Art, China Pavilion related work
2017 The 57th Venice Art Biennale, China Pavilion related work
COLLECTIONS
Is death will not have lordship, Galleries of the Academy, Venice
Three works "The ethereal" by Marialuisa Tadei collection
Attack, Paolina Brugnatelli Foundation, Milan
BIBLIOGRAPHY / PUBLICATION
2023 https://www.exibart.com/evento-arte/rapsodia-dellabbondanza/
https://www.premionocivelli.it/artista/guo-qikai
https://www.reafair.com/post/troubled-waters-parte-2
https://www.collater.al/troubled-waters-rea-fair-lampo-mostra-milano-art/
https://www.unive.it/pag/13667/?tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=12745&cHash=05f244b6542f994b53a65f246447038f
https://www.comune.venezia.it/it/content/vedersi-fuori-vedersi-dentro
https://www.comune.venezia.it/it/content/guo-qikai
https://www.comune.venezia.it/content/la-blm-partecipa-ad-artefiera-bologna
https://www.sunnyartcentre.co.uk/artprize/previous-entries/shortlisted-artists-2022-1/
https://www.comune.venezia.it/it/content/105ma-collettiva-giovani-artisti
2022 https://it.reafair.com/copy-of-2021
https://desbains.cdn.prismic.io/desbains/1a6d28ce-4033-4dba-94b2-2ffa68429156_Will-o%27-the-wisp+catalogue.pdf
https://www.comune.venezia.it/it/content/104ma-collettiva-giovani-artisti
https://www.exibart.com/artista-curatore-critico-arte/guo-qikai/
https://www.accademiavenezia.it/eventi/extra-ordinario-workshop-495.html
https://www.padovanet.it/notizia/20220713/comunicato-stampa-3-2-1-start-la-mostra-dopo-sei-mesi-di-galleria-d%E2%80%99arte-diffusa-la
https://www.startpadova.it/qikai-guo
https://www.premiomestredipittura.eu/
https://www.premiocombat.it/2022/vincitori
https://www.jacksonsart.com/paintingprize/past-competitions/past-competitions-2022/longlist-2022/page/3/
2021 https://www.itinerarinellarte.it/it/mostre/anima-eterea-marialuisa-tadei-invites-qikai-guo-2604
https://www.veneziaradiotv.it/blog/la-mostra-anima-eterea-al-giardino-bianco-art-space-di-venezia/
https://www.premionocivelli.it/artista/guo-qikai
https://www.exibart.com/evento-arte/the-ecstasy-of-darkness/
2020 https://www.premiocombat.it/2020/guo-qikai-22403
2019 https://www.fondazionepaolinabrugnatelli.org/eventi/premi-artistici-assegnati/vincitori-premio-2019
http://www.psonline.it/fuga-nell-arte-sezione/item/13-art-night-ambiente-e-natura-all-atelier-5
https://www.bassanokmquadro.it/event/vi-biennale-di-incisione-e-grafica-contemporanea/
https://www.mondadoristore.it/MiniPrintPaese-Esposizione-na/eai978889940227/
2018 - 2015 https://www.premiomestredipittura.eu/edizioni/2018/premiati2018
https://www.accademiavenezia.it/eventi/mostra-high-density-275.html
https://www.exibart.com/artista-curatore-critico-arte/guo-qikai/
https://www.exibart.com/evento-arte/a-luci-quasi-spente/
https://www.premiomestredipittura.eu/edizioni/2017#
https://www.nonsolocinema.com/Interaction-generation_32055.html
https://www.exibart.com/evento-arte/interaction-generation-scambi-culturali-e-artistici-tra-cina-e-italia-i-edizione/