Sep.12, 2010---The Gao Minglu Contemporary Art Center hosted the symposium“Narrative Background: Symposium On the Art of Li Zhanyang”, featuring artist Li Zhanyang, art critic Gao Minglu, and other guests including Sui Jianguo, Cao Hui, Zhang Wei, Dao Zi, Sheng Wei, and Dai Zhuoqun, among others.
Li Zhanyang (sculptor, b.1969, Changchun, Jilin) graduated from Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in 1994. He taught at the Department of Sculpture in Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts from 1994 to 1997, prior to his study at the Central Academy of Fine Arts for his Master’s degree from 1997 to 1999.In this symposium Li discussed his major works since 1998, such as Da Lidu (Gigantic Capital), Che Huo(Car Accident), Ji Che(Crowd on a Bus), Wu Song Sha Sao(Wu Song Kills his Sister-in-law), Tang Seng he Yao Jing(Monk Tang and the Wicked Witch), and Xin Bian Shou Zu Yuan(New Rented Yard), among others, and the background story behind each of these works). Following his talk is the discussion on his works and the criticisms on the current field of contemporary sculpture.
Art critic Daozi praised Li for his consistently capability of narration in his works, from his earlier periods to the current highly personalized creation, as well as his ability to transform a virtual or real-life story into a specific scene in sculpture, highly dramatized yet still to the point. He argued that these scenes are also symbolic, connecting art with capital and power relations in larger social and cultural forces. Moreover, Daozi saw an increasing depth in Li’s recent works with strong personalized characters, which according to him was “an embodiment of values in death and family, with inspirations originated from reality, such as fear, oppression, and anxiety”. Dr. Gao Minglu praised Li for his rising creative energy throughout the years, and his unique approach and methodological foundation for sculpting different from the Western approaches. Artist Sui Jianguo also gave positive comments on Li’s works and addressed several issues such as the material and language of sculpture with other participants.
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