Sixi Residency
Artist Open Studio & Halloween Party
In September 2025, the Sixi International Artist Residency Program welcomed its first female artist-in-residence, Zayn Qahtani. During her time in Nanjing, Qahtani has been merging archetypal imagery with alchemical material processes through multi-media forms, creating uniquely contemporary encrypted relics. She constructs a field where memory and mythology interact, bearing both ancestral memories and grief, as well as harboring wondrous imaginations of the future.
On the evening of October 31st, from 17:30 to 20:30, coinciding with Halloween, as night falls and the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, we sincerely invite you to join us at Qahtani's studio for this special Open Studio event. Experience the unique blend of art and Halloween festivities. Qahtani will share her residency experiences in Nanjing, showcasing her creative process and artworks developed during this period. Snacks and drinks combining Bahraini flavors and Chinese traditions will be provided onsite.
Let us join Zayn Qahtani in lifting "The Veil Between Worlds", and embark together on a profound dialogue concerning dreams, art, and mythology, exploring the spiritual echoes that transcend cultures.
Event Review | The Veil between Worlds: Open Studio & Halloween Party
Last month, on Halloween Eve, the studio of SIXI International Artist-in-Residence Zayn Qahtani was transformed into a mysterious and festive space. Titled " The Veil between Worlds," the event not only showcased Qahtani’s creative outputs, sketches, and tools from her residency but also served as a platform for cultural exchange between art and the holiday.
Qahtani’s artworks—shaped as "encrypted relics", blended seamlessly with the Halloween decorations. The participants immersed their taste buds and visual senses in her creative experience as she additionally presented several traditional desserts from her motherland, the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dressed as the "incarnations of spirituality" in diverse looks such as elves, deities, and night wanderers, attendees delved into Qahtani’s works, reading and experiencing the spiritual moments within.
Then, Qahtani introduced the core of her residency practice: reflections on "death and rebirth." This theme resonated perfectly with Halloween’s cultural essence of remembrance and renewal. Since arriving in Nanjing, she has visited Niushou Mountain and Qixia Mountain, where the millennium-old Buddha statues and divine carvings in the grottoes inspired her profoundly. Instead of simply replicating these images, she translated these ancient "spiritual forms" into personal interpretations through her feelings and imagination.
All the participants had left their impromptu poetic notes in our gashapon machine upon their entry. Alongside Qahtani’s sharing, those notes are waiting to be opened and the selected "poets" received surprise mystery gifts. Later, every participant presented their flowers to the most admired costume wearer and the best "poet" on site, creating a flowing, wordless vote filled with kindness and appreciation.
