Lot 925: Idling in Water

LIU QINGHE (B. 1961) Idling in Water Scroll, mounted and framed Ink and colour on paper 89 x 88 cm. (35 x 34 5/8 in.) Executed in 2006

89 x 88 cm.

London, Saatchi Gallery, Ink: The Art of China, 19 June-5 July 2012. Los Angeles, Morono Kiang Gallery, Li Jin & Liu Qinghe: Side by Side, 8 March-26 April, 2008. Seoul, Dong San Bang Gallery, &ILiu Qinghe, 2006.

The girl depicted in Idling in Water wears strange attire with sunken eyes and a melancholic facial expression; her body set against a backdrop of blue water. Floating in the water without any form of support, her state of being reflects a common condition of our contemporary life-people get by in big cities without direction and independence. With his personalized technique in ink painting, Liu sets his scenes through chaotic images he sees in the society and expresses the anxiety and difficulty of his fellow city-dwellers.