CUI FEI

Cui Fei: Vermicular Calligraphy

Born in Jinan, Cui Fei studied at the China Academy of Fine Arts and received her MFA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Based in New York since 2000, she has exhibited extensively across the globe and is best known for her artworks that use natural materials such as thorns, vines, and seeds, exploring nature’s influence on human culture.

The exhibition Vermicular Calligraphy will debut a new body of work by the artist, developed over several years.

The artist describes this series as a further exploration of asemic writing found in nature. While out collecting plant materials, she noticed intriguing markings carved by beetles on tree trunks and their resemblance to Chinese calligraphy. The earliest form of Chinese writing is believed to have been inspired by bird tracks and insect tracings. For this series, Cui treats bark beetle tracings as a kind of primordial writing, tracing language back to its origin in nature. Capturing the patterns through ink rubbing and using them as references, she hammers lead over the insect-scarred tree trunks, creating embossed “sheaths”—relics of the damage caused by our exploitation of the environment.

This exhibition focuses on the ink rubbings, the first part of her process, which has resulted in paper reliefs. The ink rubbings take on a three-dimensional form—in essence, they are delicate molds of the tree trunks where bark beetles left their natural markings.

Writing and calligraphy serve as metaphors through which Cui investigates the relationship between human beings and nature, emphasizing the importance of nature in our culture and lives.