# Joseph Cui

Joseph Cui (born 1976) is a French-Chinese curator, art critic, and founder of Espace Temps, an art space, and Les Voies de l’Art (The Pathways of Art), an association dedicated to intercultural artistic studies. He also writes under the pen name Shushan (述山).

## Early life

Joseph Cui (Chinese name: 崔保仲) was born in 1976 in Hebei, China, into a Catholic family with a long tradition in Chinese medicine. Raised in an environment influenced by both Christianity and Taoist philosophy, he left home during middle school and was ordained as a priest in the underground Catholic Church in China at the age of 22.
In 2002, he was sent by the Chinese Catholic Church to study at the Collège des Bernardins in Paris. Over the years, he served as a priest in various Catholic churches in both China and France. However, a lecture on ethical philosophy and human behavior led him to deeply reflect on his decision to become a priest. After nearly three years of inner struggle, he applied for secularization in 2008, which was formally granted by the Vatican in 2012.
During this period, Cui worked while studying in Paris. He first enrolled at the Institut de Management et Communication Interculturels (ISIT), where he trained as a trilingual interpreter (Chinese, English, and French). He then pursued a master’s degree in comparative literature at The Sorbonne Nouvelle University, followed by doctoral research focusing on intercultural themes in the literary works of François Cheng.
Greatly influenced by Cheng’s writings, Cui wrote to François Cheng, a member of the Académie Française, in the third year of his PhD studies. Their correspondence soon led to a close mentorship and friendship. From 2012 to 2019, Cui met with Cheng almost weekly in Cheng’s study, discussing art, poetry, philosophy, and religion. Since 2020, due to Cheng’s advanced age, Cui has been assisting him with daily life and publishing matters.
In 2024, Cui founded the Les Voies de l’Art (The Pathways of Art) association, dedicated to archiving and researching François Cheng’s literary works, curating exhibitions, and exploring intercultural phenomena in art.

## Career

In 2012, at the invitation of Chinese artists based in France, Cui became involved in the art world, beginning his career as an independent curator and art critic. In 2013, he co-founded the VIA Contemporary Art Association (VIA, Latin for path) alongside curators, artists, and cultural mediators in Paris. The association aims to support emerging artists through exhibitions and residency programs, fostering humanistic values and aesthetic exploration.
In 2014, Cui directed a documentary featuring nine artists, using visual storytelling to explore their works, personal journeys, and philosophical reflections on life and creativity.
In September 2023, he established Espace Temps, an art institution in Paris dedicated to curating scholarly contemporary art exhibitions and events, promoting multicultural exchange and dialogue.

## Exhibition

| Date | Exhibition Title | Location | Participating Artists | Role |
| September 10 – October 12, 2014 | ERTNE | Paris, France | Zhen Wu, Yuyan Wang, Zhongyi Ma, Duan Zhao, Qin Han, Dezhao Tian, Lizi Zhang, Bina Zhao | Curator |
| March 30, 2016 | Dedicated Showcase of Video Art by Chinese Artists | Paris, France | Mu Bai, Yu Cao, Enfu Chen, Peng Cai & Yi Tao, Baozhong Cui, Yu Fan, Xue Fu, Yu He, Bangqian Huang, Xiaomin Jian, Jingyu Kong, Shanting Li, Yu Li, Changbu Lu, Zhongyi Ma, Jian Mei, Xiang Qiao, Xiaofu Qu, Yan Shen, Lingfei Sun, Xiaotian Sun, Dezhao Tian, Jianda Wu, Jianfeng Wu, Xiaowei Wu, Junjie Yan, Rui Zhao, Zhi Zhong, Zekun Zhou, Qiong Zhou | Curator / Artist |
| January 26 – February 26, 2017 | Troposphere | Paris, France | Junhua Chen, Liang Fu, La Fang, Hang Lu, Dezhao Tian, Duan Zhao, Aijing Zhou, Zi Zhou | Curator |
| March 30 – May 19, 2017 | QUI DIRA NOTRE NUIT (Who Will Speak of Our Night) | Paris, France | Émilie Sévère | Curator |
| September 13–26, 2017 | From the Orient to Paris | Shanghai, China | Haiwang Liu, Fengmian Lin, Yuliang Pan, Beihong Xu, Dequn Zhu, Wuzhong Zhao, Guanzhong Wu, François Cheng, La Fang, Qing Chen, Languo Ma, Chen Yang, Lizi Zhang, Zhongyi Ma, Bin Zhao, Dezhao Tian | Curator |
| October 5, 2018 – January 7, 2019 | The Poetic Ink Works of François Cheng | Tours, France | François Cheng | Curator |