Most people in the Chippewa Valley would not think of a church as the first choice for a progressive, modern art gallery. But most people wouldn’t imagine He Qi as the standard modern Christian artist.

Dr. He Qi (pronounced Huh Chee) specializes in watercolor on paper with Chinese Christianity themes, specifically the life of Jesus. A gallery of his work is on display at Eau Claire’s First Presbyterian Church throughout February.

He Qi was a professor at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and a tutor for master candidate students in the Philosophy Department of Nanjing University. He is also a member of the China Art Association and a council member of the Asian Christian Art Association.

A middle school student at the start of China’s Cultural Revolution, He Qi was sent by the Communist Party to a communal work farm in rural China. Trying to avoid the strenuous physical labor, He Qi entered a contest to create a portrait of Chairman Mao Zedong.

With the help of a neighbor, the dean of fine art at Nanjing Normal University, He Qi was clued into the basics of painting and sketching. He was also sent back to the fields with a few art magazines, specifically one featuring a cover of Raphael’s Madonna and Child.

The first Christian image he remembers, Raphael’s work touched his heart. He Qi remembers it conveying a sense peace he was not used to during those tumultuous times in China. It was the beginning of a new chapter in He Qi’s life – painting Chairman Mao during the day and the Madonna at night.

Like in King Saul and David, 2001, first published in the book, Bible Through Asian Eyes, many of He Qi’s older paintings feature bold, black lines that, combined with saturated color, imply a stained glass effect. This is reminiscent of the medieval art he studied for his dissertation in Hamburg, Germany.

    In recent years the artist has moved from this traditional “Zen painting” to combine more Chinese folk art and minority national art – like the weavers who have executed some of He Qi’s pieces into their traditional tapestries.

He Qi now looks to change the “foreign image” of Christianity in China and affect traditional Chinese art the way Buddhist art did in the past.

 He has exhibited in Kyoto, Hong Kong, Geneva, Hamburg, London, San Francisco, Berkeley, Madison, New Haven, the Twin Cities, Washington, Princeton, Detroit, and Toronto, as well as in mainland China and has had work dedicated by the Bishop of Canterbury. According to Far Eastern Economic Review, he ranks as arguably China’s most internationally sought after contemporary Christian artist.

Last fall, congregation members Harold and Nelva Dykema brought a foreign exchange student to First Presbyterian. When the student saw one of He Qi’s images in a calendar at the church, she told Rev. Eric Nielsen that the artist was a friend. Less than six months later, works by the elite artist are on display in Eau Claire.

 A “Meet the Artist” reception will be held on Sunday, Feb. 22, at First Presbyterian Church on Rudolph Road with a 10 am worship, 11:30 am potluck dinner and a community reception from 1 to 3 pm. He Qi’s work will be on display throughout February as the first such gallery the church has featured. 10 percent of all proceeds from the sale of He Qi’s prints will benefit two mission projects (Dr. Ntambue Kazadi Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Community Table of Eau Claire).