ARARIO GALLERY presents the exhibition of installations by the renowned Beijing based artist Li Hui. This exhibition is the artist's second exhibition in Shanghai, and also the Opening Exhibition in Arario Gallery's new building in Hengshan Unit, Shanghai.
The exhibition features 4 large installations, including his representative works in recent years, and also 1 site-specific work. Li Hui through his consistent use of industrial technology materials such as LED light and metal to create an “Instant Insanity” between time and space. Furthermore, he works with symbols and physical objects to construct a visual and spiritual stage that condenses the theme of “instant” and “disorder”.
Li Hui is apt at creating stunning visual effects but at the same time his works lead the audiences toponder the deeper meaning. His creation that on one hand balance the diversed mediums, art forms aswell as multidimensional content reference. On the other hand，they focus on the social expansion and the humanities compression which caused by China's society development.
In this exhibition, Li Hui turned the entire three-floor gallery space into a Theatrical Stage，which concentrated the social status. And the plot of this play is about the replacement and circulation of the "expansion and compression". However, all the works exhibited seems to be the instant moment that are forced to be freeze by the artist in this space. So once the audience step into this theatre, they will feel like enter into a magic freeze-frame. The works look like broken, the time may be expanded or compressed at the coming second. Time seems to be disrupted at this instant, the space is filled with instability atmosphere, all of these feelings continually impact on the viewers’ existing values.
For example, in the site-specific work Becoming A Buddha Immediately, the artist turned the entire space into a dangerous building, which is likely to collapse at any time and place the audience in thecold metal-sense environment with anxiety. But actually this fragmented surface constructed a visualized mind theatre that concentrated the atmosphere of the time and social public feelings. However, on the third floor, a rhinoceros is concealed in the large container and placed on a truck. The animal's attempt to escape is depicted dramatically, while the thrust of its powerful body through the misshapen container reveals the animal's willpower and eagerness to break free.
Li Hui resumes his interpretation of the expansion and compression in this era. With the juxtaposition between contradiction and irrelevance, the artist portrays conflict and suspense. At the same time, from an ambiguous and blurry art context, the audience can obtain a better understanding of why Li Hui chose to define and interpret this fast-changing, rapid-developing era through a “truth of uncertainty.”
About the exhibition
Duration: 2015. 06.12 - 08.16
Venue: Arario Gallery
Address: # 1-2 320 Tianping Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China, 200231
T: +86 21 5424 9220 F +86 21 5424 9136
E-mail: info@ararioshanghai.com
Tuesday-Sunday: 10am - 7pm, Closed on Mondays
Courtesy of the artist and Arario Gallery.
