We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art stands and recognise the creative contribution First Australians make to the art and culture of this country.
Qiu Zhijie / China b.1969 / Map of Technological Ethics 2018 / Synthetic polymer mural / 1800 x 3600cm / Commissioned for APT9 / © Qiu Zhijie / Photograph: Chloë Callistemon, QAGOMA
Qiu ZhijieMap of Technological Ethics 2018
Not Currently on Display
Qiu was commissioned to create a large scale wall mural for the 9th Asia Pacific Triennial. The vast map was painted directly onto the Gallery wall. He draws on different fields in this painting — cartography (map making), geography, history, philosophy, mythology and science. His maps are a guide to seeing the whole picture to understand the world in which we live.
The artist’s maps are about a period of time, rather than a particular place. From a distance, Qiu’s wall paintings might look like ordinary maps, but his depictions of land masses, mountains, rivers and islands show the relationships between historical events; for example, reasons and results are connected by rivers, while major events are represented as peaks and mountains.
Qiu Zhijie has developed an approach to art that he calls ‘total art’ — a combination of knowledge, culture and daily life. His artworks connect ideas in Chinese art and literature with ideas from contemporary art, philosophy and society.
Discussion Questions
1. What is the story of Qiu Zhijie’s artwork? How do the geographical features help to tell the story?
2. Look at a map of Australia and consider how different geographical features are identified. What features are usually given names?
Activities
Create a map (not a timeline) about relationships involving people or events from a particular period of time; for example, a map of your life since birth or an important event for your family or school.