Qi Lin's Sketchbook is a diptych by Chinese-born, Pittsburgh-based artist Su Su. The central figure in the painting, for whom the work is named, is Qi Lin, a mythological Chinese chimera whose appearance is connected to the actions of rulers and philosophers. In this painting, the creature’s hands have been transformed into Su Su’s hands, as though she is the one transcribing the inner thoughts of this powerful and wise figure.

Recent exhibitions of Su Su's work include Chautauqua Institution of Art, NY (2019); The Andy Warhol Museum 25th anniversary exhibition (2019); The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (2020); The Carnegie Museum of Art (2020); the Muskegon Museum of Art (2021); and the de la Cruz Collection (2021). Works by Su Su are held in the permanent collections of de la Cruz Collection, Miami, FL; The Bennett Prize Art Collection, Muskegon, MI; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; and The International Spy Museum, Washington, DC, among others.

Su Su’s dreamlike, swirling oil paintings reflect her experiences as a Chinese person immigrating to the United States. They bring together a mixture of references that include Chinese mythology, American pop culture, and her own personal life. She is interested in the misunderstandings China and the United States have about each other’s cultures and histories. Those misunderstandings form the basis of intercultural exchange. By bringing these elements together in her paintings, Su Su creates surprising links that provide viewers new ways to understand our interconnected world.