Tongji Philip Qian is a multidisciplinary artist and the co-founder of TPQ Studio. His artistic practice extends the limit of artmaking through conceptual lenses such as speed, labor, internationalism, and immigration. Rooted in images and words, Qian’s research investigates knowledge production in contemporary art with a scholarly focus on movements such as Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, and Conceptual art. His recent projects include No-risk Hour (2019-), Neighborly Passport Keep Right Except To Pass (2023), Questionnairing Reality (2021), and Art Beside a Single Handshake (2020). Qian’s drawings and paintings are represented in several permanent collections, including the RISD Museum, Mecklenburgisches Künstlerhaus Schloss Plüschow, and the Yangdeng Art Museum, whereas his artist books are housed in a large number of public collections, such as Special Collections at Smith College, Special Collections at the Center for Curatorial Studies Library and Archives at Bard College, Booth Family Center for Special Collections at Georgetown University, Center for Book Arts in New York, and Asia Art Archive in America. Qian earned dual B.A. degrees in Art History and Mathematics from Carleton College, an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Studio Art from New York University, and an M.F.A. from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has held teaching positions at Bard College and RISD, and currently serves as a Collegiate Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Arts and a Harper-Schmidt Fellow in the Society of Fellows, both at the University of Chicago.
In spring 2024, Qian inaugurated the State VIII Project (2024-2027), a quasi research-driven project space within his office studio at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago. The initiative features a series of two-person exhibitions, having highlighted works by Sol LeWitt, McKinzie Trotta, Wang Langgou, Dasha Shishkin, Braden Bandel, Save the Chimps, Grappa, and Jonathan Monk. In conjunction with the exhibitions, Qian also founded the State VIII Project Artist and Writer Residency Program, a free-of-charge experience offering creative professionals uninterrupted time and space to consider their work.
