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Pete Jiadong
Pete Jiadong Qiang (b. 1991), lives and works in Lon- don. The artist explores the spaces of pictorial, architec- tural, and game, as well as interstices between the three through a Maximalist way of inquiries. His work encom- passes architectural drawings, paintings, moving images, photogrammetry, augmented reality (AR) drawings, virtual reality (VR) paintings, and games.
Qiang’s practice often revolves around the idea of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art), which have become an idiosyncratic research methodology within his distinct aesthetic spectrum. Qiang’s work is often referred to as architectural Maximalism, oscillating between physical and virtual spaces in the contexts of ACG (Anime, Comic and Games) and fandom.
Pete Jiadong Qiang is currently a PhD student in arts and computational technology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and was trained as an architect (RIBA Part 2) in Architectural Association School of Architecture.
For “How Do We Begin?”, Qiang exhibited “Queer Maximalism HyperBody” as a research ideal that tries to es- tablish a new inventive methodology of Queer Maximalism: virtual space-making within the game engine by incorpo- rating materials and images from ACG (Anime, Comic and Games), fandom communities and autoethnography. Both visually and acoustically, this new entanglement will try to redefine the concept of Portal within multiple HyperBod- ies intermediating between physical and virtual spaces.
HyperBodies include virtual Portal and physical Portal. HyperBody Virtual Portal is the virtual space of Queer Maximalism output in game engines, and is the corre- sponding physical space of Queer Maximalism output in real life.
How has the pandemic affected your artistic practice?
The pandemic slowed my practice in virtual world by using game engine and VR devices. However, it offered me more time to think about the real-life environment, meat space and raw materiality. I am trying to spend more time to make more collaborative works intra-acting of physical and virtual spaces.
Recent projects of yours has explored ideas of excess. What have you learned about excess in the process that you did not know before? Can you describe?
It is probably a redefinition of Maximalism by using the methods of modding, crossover and shipping in ACGN (Anime, Comic, Game and Novel) and fandom contexts. It is a spatial archive of auto-ethnography, a multi-fandom cosmos excess of culture, technology and affection.
When, if at any time, do you feel the most invincible?
I rather tend to feel the softness and “vulnerability” that continuously helping me play and work between academia and fandom.
How has your relationship to being an artist changed in recent years?
One of my favourite architects Coop Himmelb(l)au said architecture must blaze. I am still trying on it.
What to you, no matter what, will always be beautiful?
Maybe something marginal, raw, non finito, primitive, new, unheard, the unknown pleasures.
What’s next?
Actually, I am reading the book “I Hate the Lake District” by Charlie Gere. I am dreaming and fantasizing a new HyperBody VR game level based on the Lake District, something alien, cult and horror.