Qi Gong Session

Qi Gong is an ancient Chinese practice combining gentle movements, deep breathing, and meditation to cultivate and balance the body's vital life energy (qi) for improved health, spirituality, and martial arts. It's a holistic system, often called a "moving meditation", that strengthens the body, calms the mind, and boosts well-being by coordinating posture, breath, and focused awareness, with roots in Chinese medicine and philosophy.

The exhibition features work by Chinese artist Zheng Bo. His 2024 video Ecosensibility Exercise, shows a performer enacting slow Qi-based movements within a biodiverse landscape, harmonising body, breath and environment.

This session will be led by Olga Koroleva, an artist working across writing, photography, moving image, and live action. She pursues her long-term inquiry into inter-species relationships through the examination of gestures, language and biology. Informed by current debates in animal studies, ethology, anthropology, and crip theory, her work addresses life and liveness of human and non-human animals, organic and inorganic matter, and their multiplicities. Olga has trained with and is a member of the British Health Qi Gong Association. Her teaching is informed by personal experience as a disabled and neurodivergent person, Buddhist philosophy, and mind training. She is keen to make Qi Gong accessible to everyone.

Attendees are advised to wear loose, comfortable clothing, flat-soled shoes, and bring your own bottle of water. Please note, essential oils will be used in the space so please advise ahead of time if you have any allergies: gallery@dow.cam.ac.uk

Please feel free to get in touch with any questions.