UCCA is proud to present Breaking through the Ice, an important solo exhibition by conceptual artist Qiu Zhijie. With Breaking through the IceUCCA initiates a new series of solo exhibitions of the new generation of Chinese artists.

Following a series of exhibitions exploring the origins of Chinese contemporary art such as ’85 New Wave, House of Oracles: A Huang Yong Ping Retrospective and Our Future: The Guy and Myriam Ullens Foundation Collection, Breaking through the Ice is an ambitious new project, being Qiu Zhijie’s first major solo exhibition and featuring totally new works commissioned especially for this exhibition.

Breaking through the Ice reveals mankind’s desire of building gigantic structures and their related systems, especially within Chinese industrial history. Conceived as a huge sinking ship that is engaging the audience throughout the industrial transformations of China, this highly experimental show displays a wide variety of works ranging from sculpture and installation to ink paintings and pictures. Viewed together these works explore the ill-fated implications of massive industrial state enterprises, such as the iconic Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, for the individual mind, private life, history, philosophy and surrounding nature.

“Qiu Zhijie is recognized as one of the leading figures of China’s new generation of artists. His artistic orientation, theory and curating have time and again been the driving force of several Chinese art movements, setting the standard for younger and more established artists alike”, said Guo Xiaoyan, co-curator of the exhibition.

The exhibition is supported by a range of educational programs organized by UCCA and featuring a series of artists’ talks, including Qiu Zhijie, as well as a panel discussion between artists, critics and curators.