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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).

Joseph Cui

Photographer: Hao Wang
Nationality: French
Language: Chinese, English, French

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.^[1]

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.^[1]

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.^[2]

In 2024, Cui founded the Les Voies de l’Art (The Pathways of Art) association,^[3] dedicated to archiving and researching François Cheng’s literary works, curating exhibitions, and exploring intercultural phenomena in art.

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)^[4][5] 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.^[6]

In 2014, Cui directed a documentary^[7][8] 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.

Cheng, François. Une longue route pour m'unir au chant français. October 2022, p. 245, Remerciements.