Zee Stone Gallery is proud to present “Light and Shade”, an exhibition of recent paintings by the London-based artist Qu Lei Lei.

Qu Lei Lei specialises in ink paintings and collage. Paintings to be shown in this exhibition include large-scale nudes - the most recent development in the artist’s repertoire, the “Hands” series, abstract collages, and portraits.  From his delicate representation of nudes and human hands – powerful images of thoughts, feelings and humanity – to his series of portraits depicting the very different lives of people around the world, Qu Lei Lei seeks to tell a very personal story. 

Among Qu Lei Lei’s most striking paintings are the nudes, represented on a large scale.  Qu Lei Lei has successfully transformed the traditional calligraphic brush and ink technique into a vehicle for expressing the sculptural form, making use of light and shade rather than line. The “Hands” series are powerful paintings representing emotions of compassion, anger and desire. Finally, a series of abstract collages, composed of bursts of colour and calligraphy, complement the figurative paintings, and convey messages of hope, truth and enlightenment.

Qu Lei Lei was born in North China in 1950. In Beijing in 1979, he joined a group of young artists known as the Stars, who famously hung their paintings on the railings of the National Gallery. When they were allowed to show their work two months later, 200,000 people viewed the exhibition. In 1985, in his role as reporter for China Central TV, Qu Lei Lei recorded the trial of Wei Jinsheng, the country’s most celebrated dissident. The same year he left China for England, and from humble beginnings has since built a successful career in his adopted country, exhibiting in many galleries around the world, including the Venice Biennale and the Ashmolean Museum of Art.

Qu Lei Lei will be available for interview and a catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition.