Qudy XU | painter | qudyxu@gmail.com | qudyxu.com
Qudy Xu was born in Fu Jian province, China in 1974. In search of new inspiration and life style, Qudy Xu took residence in Cambodia. Qudy Xu’s passion for art and her love of the Asian culture made her one of the most encouraging voices. As a participant of the Selapak Neari program established in 2008 and funded by Arts Network Asia in Singapore, she continued to deepen her knowledge and sharpen the process of art making in Cambodia. She began exhibiting her works in 2007 with local and international artists in Phnom Penh: at Ministry of Culture of Cambodia, Department of Plastic Arts in Phnom Penh, New Art Gallery, Meta House and Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap.
Her artist statement:
“The only thing I could remember as a child, was that I was ugly, I thought I was ugly and I hated myself to be a girl. I looked at those beautiful Chinese traditionally dressed women in the pictures and drawings, and wanted so much to be like them.. so I started drawing them, painting them since then. I have been always charmed by people’s emotions and expressions through their features, in my background, women were always those who were suppressed to be the victims of life drama , I have seen too much of tears and pains and sufferings of their attachments. In the journey of my life, I had a clear will that I would never allow myself to be dependent. So I left , I traveled, I worked, I drew, I painted.. I went through many dramas of my own just like those I have seen in my earlier childhood to learn that those were only parts of a journey of learning yourself and discovering who you truly are…”
Exhibitions
2010
- Solo Exhibition At Java Cafe, “Innocence”, March 31st, Phnom Penh Cambodia.
2009
- Group show “The WAIT” at Hotel De La Paix, Siem Reap, with Cambodian artist Kanitha Tith.
- Group show “ I am PRIDE” at Meta House, Phnom Penh
2008
- Group show “bodies” at Two Fish studio in Phnom Penh
- Group show “I wonder…” at the Ministry of Culture of Cambodia, Department of Plastic Arts in Phnom Penh.
2007
- Group show “Mean Rup Mean Tuk” at the Ministry of Culture of Cambodia, Department of Plastic Arts in Phnom Penh.
17 artists exhibiting at the department of plastic arts of the ministry of culture. 5 Khmer artists and 12 international artists coming together to produce a series of works on the theme : with a body comes suffering. The crowd was overwhelmed.
- Group show « Portraits de femmes » (dialog among Asian women artists) with Cambodian born French-Canadian artist Linda Saphan and Chinese-Canadian multimedia artist Mo-Ling Chui based in Beijing at New Art Gallery, Phnom Penh.
“One is not born woman, she becomes one“. By action, a woman can change her situation at anytime if she so desires. This action, in return, justifies its own existence, i.e. the freedom to simply be a woman. The exhibition “Portraits of women” remains faithful to this idea that the women have a great task to achieve: to live! Three artists, three different glimpses. To illustrate dreamlike or real states sensibilities, these artists use drawing, painting and video as manifestations of scattered images of an enigma. In each one, a part of the puzzle constitutes a negligible share of the mystery.