LI Jikai

Arario Gallery Cheonan is proud to present a solo exhibition of China’s bourgeoning young artist Li Jikai’s solo exhibition, starting from November 11th and lasting through January 24th of 2009. Li has already been introduced to Korea’s art lovers through Chinese artists’ group show at Doosan Art Center in 2007. His successes at Hong Kong Sotheby’s recent sales as well as his solo exhibition at Beijing’s Today Art Museum in the beginning of this year have solidified Li’s position

In contrast to his fellow contemporary artists’ propagandistic art, Li Jikai delves into the fundamental question on the existence of human being and expresses the loneliness present in the lives of modern men. Instead of focusing on the politically heavy subject matters, Li narrates his own personal stories in his paintings. Rhetorical questions such as ‘who am I?’, ‘where do I come from?’, and ‘where am I headed?’ crowd the artist’s mind, while he desperately longs to maintain the sort of absolute purity one possesses as a child. Li depicts himself as Peter Pan in Neverland; however, in his paintings one can witness a sense of isolation, loneliness, fear, anxiety, and unavoidable encounter with reality as the artist realizes that the age of purity has already passed by. Separating himself from the major trend of 21st Century Chinese contemporary art where issues of collective political identity form the main subject matter, Li Jikai retrospectively examines his life in this way. In his art is a mysterious balance between violence and sensitivity, softness and poignancy.

This exhibition will provide a valuable opportunity to view approximately 25 works of Li Jikai, who is actively shown at Bangkok, Tokyo, Hong Kong, New York, Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, and at his latest show “Clear” at Beijing’s famous Today Art Museum, which was greatly applauded.