Lot 931: The Five Elements

QIN FENG (B. 1961) The Five Elements A set of five scrolls, framed Ink, coffee and tea on ceramic paper Each scroll measures 199 x 85 cm.(78 3/8 x 33 3/8 in.) Executed in 2012 (5)

199 x 85 cm.

Daring and exuberant, The Five Elements is a bold, contemporary reiteration of the ancient Chinese cosmology. The five elements - metal, wood, water, fire and earth - have long been considered as cosmic agents of change. Qin's idiosyncratic gestural brush marks emit a similar energy. As colossal, calligraphic strokes of black ink traverse the surface of ceramic paper stained by tea and coffee, horizontal and vertical lines meet to form an abstract symbol that dominate the five scrolls. Almost spiritual in nature, the allure of Qin's script invites the viewer's eye to roam freely across the pictorial space and to contemplate on the beauty of the fluid brushwork.