Leo Gallery | Hong Kong
The Moment
LI YIWEN | Solo Exhibition
Leo Gallery is pleased to present “The Moment”, Li Yiwen’s second solo exhibition with us in Hong Kong. The exhibition showcases the artist's latest series of works of the same title, which he has created in recent years.
The exhibition title, "The Moment" is derived from the description of time span in Buddhism, "In the time it takes to snap one's fingers, there are sixty moments; in one moment, there are nine hundred births and deaths." The inspiration for this theme comes from the artist's awe of eternal time, which he experienced while standing in front of a massive iceberg during his journey in the northwest. It also reflects his melancholy perception of the rapid passage of time in social life. Li's artistic creation and paintings always revolve around his contemplation and interest in time and space. Experiences from memory and present moments accumulate as the sources of inspiration and expression.
In Li's artistic creation, time always flows in multiple directions. Time is static because the objects in his paintings are placed in surreal settings, causing a sense of the absence of reality and subtle unease. Time also extends to the past because the objects he portrays are often man-made, with a history of material existence predating human birth. Time also projects into the future as these objects may imply their future purpose. Ultimately, for the viewers, time may expand. This is reflected not only in the process of appreciating the artworks but also in the introspection that arises when facing these melancholic landscapes, prompting our self-questioning: "What have we done to this world?"
Similar to the previous series that traversed between reality and illusion, the abandoned spaces and industrial remnants pointing to the complex psychological experiences in the process of urbanization, "The Moment" is not a manifestation of realism. Unlike the sublime portrayal by the artist, the melting icebergs in reality become material harbingers of the world's ultimate fate. In a sense, the icebergs depicted by Li, just like his crumbling walls and concrete pipelines, inscribe a warning of the present world, provoking echoes of self-existential questioning.
To Li, the question of “How shall we, humankind, handle the problems we are confronted with?" is a material question that has a materialistic answer. Things are recognized and understood through their materiality. The world/ nature/ sensation/ subjectivity are recognized through their materiality and subsequently translated into images and symbols. It is highly likely that this translational act called art itself does not contribute to solving any practical problems we have, nor does it help us find answers to "what have we done to this world" or "how should we continue to exist." Currently, these iceberg creations are only echoes of real objects; currently, they are material deposits of an artist's behavioral activities. They exist, just as the artist exists. It is not a solution for the future, but perhaps, it is a beginning.
—— excerpt from German curator and art historian
Ruth Noack's "Li Yiwen's Timescapes"
