The centerpiece of Qiu Anxiong’s exhibition at the Crow Collection, “Animated Narratives,” is a two-part three-channel stop-motion video, The New Book of Mountains and Seas (2006-2007), which refers to an ancient Chinese text that tells of mythological creatures and faraway places. Qiu’s contemporary version of these tales addresses two complementary themes: industrialization’s threat to the global environment, and globalization’s threat to traditional Chinese culture. On the first theme, we see a variety of docile animals and mountainous landscapes, endangered by sinister meat-packing machines and spewing pollutants. On the second theme, by grounding his work in the illustrious Chinese landscape tradition, Qiu stands for the defense of this ancient heritage against both its capitalist and Communist enemies. Born in 1972 during Mao’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, which tried to annihilate all traces of opposition to Maoism, Qiu has come of age during the present capitalist boom, in which the Chinese avant-garde has become the dominant face of Chinese art to the wider world.

The use of animated video (rather than pure landscape painting) could be seen as a concession to contemporary electronic culture; it seems to be a popular medium for Chinese artists addressing Western audiences. (Another example is Cao Fei’s recent exhibition at Arthouse in Austin.) Qiu’s use of stop-motion animation is probably fated to be measured against that of William Kentridge, but even if he doesn’t match the latter’s subjective complexity, his sincerity is serious and moving. Also on view are several related woodcuts, and a few of the paintings that were used in creating the animation.