Portrait of Mrs. Z. by Shiki in Graz

Shiqi Geng Composer & Painter Born in China in 1995, Shiqi Geng grew up in an environment where the boundaries between the arts were fluid. While considered a child prodigy in piano and composition, he simultaneously received a solid education in classical painting from his father. For Geng, the visual representation of the world—influenced by his studies of Rembrandt and Dürer—was never merely a hobby, but a parallel mother tongue to music. Although he primarily dedicated himself to his career as a composer from the age of 19—a path that led him to the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz and earned him the highest state awards in Austria—his painterly vision remained ever-present. He views composition theory and performance practice as an invisible framework that, after 13 years of purely sonic articulation, now flows back into his painting. Since 2026, Geng has once again focused intensively on oil painting. His aim is to transfer the inner logic and emotional density of an orchestral score to the static canvas. In his portraits, he seeks not only anatomical precision but also a "visual polyphony"—a depth nourished by his understanding of structure, rhythm, and harmony, derived from his musical mastery.