The exhibition will feature new works from three distinctive and ongoing series: Withered Plant, Solo Dance, and Science Fiction. Extending the idea of botanical illustration of traditional flower painting, Li’s drawings and mixed-media works are labor-intensive diagrams of half-blooming, half-withering plants. In the Solo Dance scrolls, the artist uses his own footprints to create a choreography and movement staged against a grid resembling bricks or tiles. Together with the artist’s footsprints, words in Chinese and English (“loneliness”, "faith”, "pursue”, "courage”) suggest a transition from past to future, but without imposing rational connections to the meanings of the words or phrases, and thus leaving it open to interpretation by the viewer.

Li Wenguang is known for his highly subjective and idiosyncratic works, many of which have been based on notions of pseudoscientific equations, personal diaries, and dream interpretation. Continuing his exploration of these themes, his recent works are delving further into the territory of the subconscious. Li, who is a completely self-taught artist, presents his works on rice paper mounted to traditional Chinese silk scrolls, using a combination of pen, brush, tea, ink, acrylic and oil paint.

Image: © Li Wenguang, James Cohan Gallery Shanghai