Trees turning into bookshelves, into wasteland, into fireKburning books, destruction of civilization; pack of wild geese flying over mountains, one falling into a lake; kept in a birdcage, solitary, melancholy, demising; books flying off and back onto the shelves, animals going through metamorphosis, natural scenery interrupted by human inhabitation; flying southK

Each film still from Qiu Anxiong's black and white animation constitutes a painting itself, some reflecting bucolic and otherworldly aesthetics embedded in Chinese traditional ink painting of landscape, while others forming strong images implying apocalypse and miracles of the modern world. Crescendo and diminuendo of piano sound is interspersed with Hitler's speech and revolutionary tune, implying the dichotomy of collective power bewielded by individual will. Recurrent images of trees and basalt rocks pay homage to Joseph Beuys' iconic work 7000 Oaks and End of Twentieth Century, exploring notion of growth and hope and therefore adding positive note to the narrative.

Qiu went to Germany in 1997 and studied at University of Kassel for six years after graduating from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. He now resides and works in Shanghai. Well-versed in a variety of artistic mediums, Qiu is concerned with setting discourse between traditional culture, urbanization, and history.