The Year 2004 - He Da Qiao

He Da Qiao is one of China's prominent realist painters with a rare and exquisite skill. Drawing on his personal experiences, his keen observation and a willingness to experiment, Da Qiao uses the beauty of oil on canvas to create an immediately recognizable identity for his works.

He was born in Harbin, an industrial city of China's Heilongjiang Province in 1961, where his work has been displayed in solo and group exhibitions across China and globally. As of today, his works have been widely collected by notable individuals such as Robert A. Hefner III, Jurgen Fischer, and Gerry Jones. His works have also been traded through auction houses such as Christie's, Sotheby's, and China Guardian throughout the 1990's.

In the process of creating his artwork, Da Qiao constantly investigates themes involving nature and the past. He would often call upon his own experiences as inspiration when creating art pieces that conveys his character and are often crafted meticulously.
 

Da Qiao firmly believes in creating his work out of originality. In a statement made, Da Qiao once opinionated that, 'In any form of art, relinquishing a uniqueness that attracts viewers and borrowing other methods, results in work losing its value. How I feel cannot be best expressed in writing and therefore I choose to express it through my painting, exposing my observation and understanding of life and the world using methods that may seem traditional. I believe there will be people who can read the meaning of my art and this is what fulfills me.'

Da Qiao also studied classical Chinese Ink Painting, Da Qiao's training is rooted in realism. For much of his career he has perfected his ability to represent classical imagery vases, books, nudes images of high cultural representation. In the mid 1990's he began depicting objects of a more daily importance to both China and contemporary culture. Glass bottles for water, plastic bags, packaging, and pipes: such items offered Da Qiao a means of representation relevant to the everyday environment.

Art in the 20th century has embodied much change and Da Qiao sees his work as an experiment in the establishment of necessary benchmarks so that his audiences can embrace the trends of the best example that represent what can be achieved.