03/03/2026
Resident 2026 - Cai Qing (born 1960 in Beijing, China) is a Chinese-born contemporary artist and performance practitioner, best known for his interdisciplinary works in performance, installation, video, and photography that investigate the interplay between the "observer" and the "observed" across multicultural societies.[1] His art draws inspiration from direct interactions with individuals from varied backgrounds, incorporating their life stories to highlight themes of identity, migration, and social dynamics.[2] As a German citizen since acquiring nationality later in his career, Cai Qing has maintained an international practice shaped by his relocations, beginning with Europe and New York in 1989 and extending to Singapore in 2007.[1][3]
In addition to his artistic output, Cai Qing is an influential curator, art critic, and educator who has organized pivotal exhibitions advancing contemporary art in China, such as the 1998 co-curated Trace of Existence—the country's first major contemporary art show in a private venue—and the 2008 Construction before Destruction, a performance series marking the end of an artist village in Henan Province.[1][2] His scholarly contributions include authoring books like The Diary of Performance Art and The Potential of Performance Art in Psychotherapy, which explore the cultural and therapeutic dimensions of the medium, and he regularly participates in global performances and educational initiatives.[4] Cai Qing's career reflects a nomadic approach, bridging Eastern and Western art worlds while addressing the human experiences of displacement and connection.
