Disquality II

The title reads as a coined term suggesting disparity or differential, and as the second in a series the print extends a conceptual investigation begun in an earlier iteration. Within Qian's practice, such serial woodblock pieces typically translate abstract relational ideas — drawn from his parallel training in mathematics and art history — into hard-edged, geometrically organized compositions. The work is most plausibly produced through hand-pulled mokuhanga, in which separately carved blocks are registered against the sheet to build up flat fields of color, sometimes softened by bokashi gradation along block edges. Alternatively, Qian frequently employs reduction-cut printmaking, where a single block is progressively carved between impressions so earlier color layers are preserved only on the paper. The finished sheet carries the tactile imprint of the baren and the absorbent surface of washi. Disquality II sits within a broader output that ranges across drawing, painting, sculpture, installation, and the artist book.