#7

e30d #7 − Chimeras of Qilin (Memories of Qilin) Object: Memories of Qilin #600 Artist: Emily Xie Owner: Bob Loukas Date: November 2023 The qilin creature is the Southeast Asian rendering of a chimera. Chimeras take on various parts of different animals to complete a miraculous, folkloric, contradicting existence. Versions of the mythical beasts weave their way across time and culture, with records suggesting they first appeared in art and texts from Lycia and Asia Minor between the 15th-14th centuries BC. Understood as a symbol for luck and good fortune, today the qilin appears on coins, visual motifs for Asian brands, contemporary iconography, and cultural objects alike. According to folklore, qilins are part of the four auspicious spirits in Chinese mythology. Kind hearted, noble and virtuous, the qilin materializes in peaceful and prosperous places, even aligning with Confucius himself. Memories of Qilin is a work of layers – traditional east asian cultural references, quilted procedurally and on demand, immutably stored on a 21st-century global database. Stitched with code. Astonishingly contradictory. Imbued with cultural data.