He Qi Artwork
November 11, 2024
Dear Parishioners,
St. Thomas More is thrilled to begin displaying our own prints of the works of He Qi (pronounced [huh-chee]). His interpretations of familiar biblical stories have graced the entrance to St. Ignatius Hall on loan from the Basilica but the parish owns the ones we share this weekend. These new images, entitled “Easter Morning,” “Do Not Hold Onto Me,” “Jesus and the Disciples,” and “The Great Commissioning”, portray Christ’s post-Resurrection journey from the tomb to His Ascension.
We will bless these prints at the conclusion of 10:30 a.m. Mass on November 24, but they will be on display in the Choir area at all Masses this weekend.
Artist He Qi uses bold colors, embellished shapes, and thick strokes to redefine the relationships between people and spirituality. His paintings and tapestries are a blend of Chinese folk art and traditional painting, using familiar storytelling iconography typical of the Western Middle Ages and Modern Art. He Qi is currently a California resident, but he was a native of China, where he studied at Nanjing Normal University and Nanjing Art Institute. He was the first among Mainland Chinese to earn a Ph.D. in religious art after the Revolution (1992). He went on to add Western tropes to his art through studies at Hamburg Art Institute in Germany. He Qi paintings and tapestries have been displayed in museums, churches, galleries, and universities in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and internationally in Tokyo, Kyoto, Hong Kong, Nanjing, London, Gevena, and St.Petersburg. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to have He Qi’s work present in our STM community.
Kellen O'Grady
Director of Liturgy
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