Memories of Qilin

Emily Xie

Artwork description:

Memories of Qilin is an algorithmic art collection of 1024 pieces, inspired by traditional East Asian art. It channels the sense of movement and fluidity found in Chinese classical paintings, while drawing from the colors, patterns, and forms of ukiyo-e woodblock work. Fundamentally, the project explores the concept of folklore as it evokes the mythological imagery of dragons, phoenixes, flowers, and mountains.

The title references a fabled chimerical beast, the qilin, within East Asian mythology that represents prosperity and luck. While the creature itself is never figuratively depicted, its shape-shifting, enigmatic nature is nevertheless embodied throughout the series. As with the stories passed on through generations, each piece in Memories of Qilin is imagined, organic, and ever-in-flux. Viewers are invited to interpret elusive forms that, much like a vague memory in one’s mind, teeter on the edge of actualization.

This highly active form of viewing reflects the way myths are transmitted and transformed across time––a process that explores the shared cultural experience of heritage and storytelling, and how its value draws more from its narrative power than from its literal truths. Memories of Qilin is considered a groundbreaking series in the blockchain art space. It has been exhibited at venues such as Singapore ArtScience Museum, Kunsthalle Zürich, Glitch Gallery in Marfa, and has been recently highlighted in the Taschen publication, ON NFTs.