Xiao Qi (Ajiao/Daidai) - Artist Research

Xiao Qi, Great Wall of China, date unknown. Relief sculpture

Xiao Qi, also known as Ajiao or Daidai, is an artist whose work immediately caught my attention because of its incredible use of relief. Rather than creating a completely flat image, she builds up the surface so that elements physically project forwards from the artwork. This creates a strong sense of depth and allows light and shadow to become part of the piece. As the viewer moves around the work, different details are revealed, making the experience much more engaging.

What I find most inspiring is the way she blurs the boundary between painting and sculpture. Her work exists somewhere between the two, creating images that feel alive and almost as though they are emerging from the surface. The raised elements give the work a physical presence that cannot be achieved through paint alone.

Although my own work is visually very different, I connect strongly to her use of layers and depth. Throughout my practice I have been interested in moving beyond a single flat surface. Previous works such as Walk With Me and Memory Layers explored depth through layering and encouraged viewers to engage with the work physically rather than simply viewing it from the front.

Xiao Qi's work has become particularly relevant to my current project involving my children's baby clothes. I plan to create sculptural relief pieces that incorporate clothing, toys, dummies, bottles and other objects connected to early childhood. Rather than presenting these items as flat arrangements, I want them to project from the surface in a similar way to the relief elements in Xiao Qi's work. This will help create a stronger sense of presence, allowing the objects to feel as though they are emerging from memory itself.

Her work has encouraged me to think about how depth can communicate emotion. The physical layering creates a connection between the artwork and the viewer, transforming the piece from something that is simply looked at into something that occupies real space. This is an approach I hope to explore within my own baby clothes pieces, using relief to strengthen themes of memory, nostalgia and motherhood.