RenKe Art

Artist | Li Xiuqin

Curator | Wang Lin

Duration | 2017.1.13-3.13

LI XIUQIN

1953, Born in Qingdao of Shangdong province, China

1982, graduated from Sculpture Dept., Zhejiang Academy of Fine Art (now China Academy of Art, CAA), attained bachelor’s degree, Hangzhou, China

1988, Researched in Slead Academy of Arts UCL, UK

1990, Graduated from Sculpture Dept., Manchester Metropolitan University, attained Master’s degree, UK

Currently lives & works in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

Professor, Sculpture Department, China Academy of Art, CAA, Hangzhou

Co-Director, 4th Studio of Sculpture Department, CAA, Hangzhou

Research Fellow of State Art Academy

Solo Exhibitions

2015, Touch – Li Xiuqin Solo Exhibition, Renke Art Gallery, Hangzhou

2014, Connecting Art and Society in Braille – 20 Years of Sculpture Works by Li Xiuqin, Shanghai Baoshan IFAE, China

2014, Somewhere 20 Years Ago, Renke Art Gallery, Hangzhou, China

2013, Touching Point-Sculpture Exhibition, Hangzhou Library, Hangzhou, China

1999, Installation-Sculpture-Painting, The 2nd Gallery Washington State University, WSU, U.S.A

1995, Li Xiuqin Exhibition, CAA Art Space, Hangzhou,China

1993, Sense of Touch · Concave-convex, CAA Art Space, Hangzhou, China

Group Exhibitions

2013, Cracked Culture? The Quest for Identity in Contemporary Chinese Art, Venice, Italy

2012, Forms of Formless, Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Art, Germany

2010, Contemporary Sculpture Exhibition in Shanghai World EXPO, Shanghai, China

2009, Strategic Form: International Metal Sculpture Exhibition, Monterrey Contemporary Art Museum, Mexico

2008, Sculpture of Nature: Orient Western, International Sculpture Biennal, Anglie Touren, Italy

2007, Female's Angle of View: Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Venice, Italian

2006, The Documents Exhibition of Chinese Contemporanry Art, Millennium Art Museum, Beijing, China

2005, The 2nd Beijing Biennial International Art Exhibition, Chinese Art Museum, Beijing, China

2004, China · Imagination-The Sculpture Exhibition of Chinese Contemporanry Art, Jardin des Tuileries, Pairs, France

2001, Chinese Season, Paris, France

2001, Stew – The Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art, Norway

2000, The Sculpture Exhibition of Two Person, Clark University Gallery, USA

1999, Opening the Street Exhibition, Washington State University, USA

1998, Tradition & Consideration: Chinese Contemporary Art Exhibition, Embassy of Germany, Beijing, China

1998, Exhibition of Contemporary Chinese Female Artists, Bonn Frauen Museum

1997, 1^st Academic Exhibition of Chinese Contemporary Art Sichuan & Hongkong, China

1997, Continue: Five Artists Sculpture Exhibitions, China Central Academy of Art Gallery, Beijing

1989, London Slead Youth Sculpture Exhibition, London, UK

1987, 1^st Chinese Young Artists’ Exhibition, Beijing, China

Pubic Collections

Horice International Sculpture Park, Czech

Yuzi Paradise International Sculpture Park

Shanghai International Sculpture Park

Zhejiang University library

Zhejiang Water Conservancy and Hydropower College

Washington State University

Changbai Mountain of Yanji Sculpture Park

Beijing Shijing Mountain

International Sculpture Park

PREFACE

Text/Wang Lin

Li Xiuqin and I have been friends and comrades for years. In spite of the different surroundings of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute and China Academy of Art, her work has been always in my mind as we sympathized with each other. Not just because she’s natural disposition in generous, kind of “female man” temperament, but also because her thorough research and fiery passion for feminism, sculpture, education, special group of the blind and public art construction. In my mind, Li Xiuqin is a person who was born for the arts. Whenever she talks about new projects, her always looks shining, and her eyes are bright, as if she has changed a person. This is an artist who is tireless and creative. In China, where utilitarianism and consumptionism are consumed, Li Xiuqin has always lived with mind and wisdom. Because of the existence of this kind of psychics, the world is not plain, life is not only dullness, and history is not only empty and false.

Li Xiuqin has involved in art that produced by means of concave and convex, such as man and woman, give and accept, yin and yang and est. from her first work. As a sculptor, it is not enough to focus on the relationship between subject and object of the solid material. Because of the visual inertia, it is inevitable of the ideologicalization of art production. To resist the collective control of the individual, can only depend on the force of heterogeneity, which is the change that “touch” made to “sight”. When materials and entities become fixed pattern because of technology cure, the body’s role is hidden and buried. Therefore, the significance of Li Xiuqin’s sculpture creation lies in: to change the solid materials by awareness of the body and body’s physical sensation, so that the possibility of its significance opens up and becomes an activity space where individual freedom can be played. This is the path that leads to wisdom of life and value of existence for contemporary art.

The concave and convex rubbings are one aspect of Li Xiuqin’s art works. She opens the three-dimensional entities, whether it is concave or convex, and even screens the four-dimensional time as forming or phonation, to create undirected a special transformation. What we are witness now is no longer two sides of a piece of paper, but spatial continuous in sense of topology. The famous Moebius surface is a classic example. For Li Xiuqin, connection and conversion are the themes of this topic exhibition. She connects internally and externally, converts visible and invisible, which will definitely give abstract properties to solid materials, and this kind of spatial abstraction is where flesh and soul works. Hereby, form and shape can generate meaning by field domain, real culture environment and the context of art history. Aesthetic is an important part of this, but not all; contemporary art is not only aesthetics, but sociology, political science and history. The most critical thing is methodology.

I once marveled at one work of Li Xiuqin’s: the viewer walked into the entrance of the passageway, groping in to the exhibition hall in the dark. This is an exhibition about blind people, and touching darkness is more than just a symbol, because for the blind, the solid materials can only related to physical sensation. What are they connecting and converting? Is the shape of the world, the light that eyes cannot see but the heart can – this is how Li Xiuqin gives sense of touch, and even the spirit of body and life to sight. Rubbing is merely an act of exploring space. I think this passage has to say no more, when reading Li Xiuqin’s topic exhibition you will naturally understand: the so-called artistic feelings, is nothing but the empathy for man, for spirit and for things.

RALATED LINKS

www.douban.com/note/602214074/

sanwen.net/a/sepkjqo.html

www.hzxcw.gov.cn/whhz/content/2017-01/13/content_6114065.htm

ent.hangzhou.com.cn/ylzt/hzart/content/2017-01/14/content_6444881.htm

m.baozang.com/news/~~n81764~~

www.zgbigart.com/info_xx.aspx

www.dangdaiyishu.com/app/13-view-15135.shtml

www.artlinkart.com/cn/artist/exh_yr/e39hrx/ea2euxlj

www.zgshdb.com/news/73.html

huadong.artron.net/20170113/n902253.html

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