ART SEASONS presents Dragon Bones, a solo exhibition by Anhui-born, Beijing based artist, Li Shuguang. Curated by Victoria Lu, Director of the Moon River Museum of Contemporary Art and the MOCA Shanghai, the show premiered at ART SEASONS Beijing earlier this year.

Although some contemporary artists in China equate conceptual art to contemporary art, Li Shuguang neither creates works for the sake of conceptualization nor merely to develop a set of icons and symbols. Instead, his art is a fable-like narrative expressed in a visual language where intuition takes precedence over rationale. It is also a response to contemporary art that is violent, gory and profane as he dispels the notion that aesthetically pleasing and intellectually engaging art should be mutually exclusive.

As the art director of the Rayli group of magazines, Li Shuguang is an artist with the creative sensibility of a designer.  His involvement in both fashion and art allows him to indulge in his innate curiosity and immerse himself in subjects that ignite his interest. Combined with his introspective nature, this has resulted in paintings imbued with allegorical connotation. However, his works are never rendered dark or overly profound as his inherent aesthetic sense and playfulness lead him to create bizarre and colorful scenes filled with naivety and humor.

Though ‘Shuguang’ means ‘dawn’ in Chinese, the artist is ironically, more mesmerized by the glowing resplendence of sunsets in the metropolitan. Many of his works capture vibrant skylines in the bewitching beauty of twilight. Against this entrancing backdrop, he depicts his contemplations through the perspectives of animals. The solitude, panic, and helplessness that engulf them as they struggle in gaudy, artificial, man-made urban environments are feelings familiar to most. The artist believes that all life forms in the universe, human or otherwise, possess equal significance and the symbiosis between man and other species is something that should be respected. Using the language of art, he defends the dignity of life, examines the conflict between urban civilization, nature and the cosmos, and questions the ultimate fate of humanity.

Rising above the chaos of the contemporary art scene, the artist has chosen to embark on a solitary artistic journey. The pictorial essays composed by the artist reflect his astute observations as well as the sensitivity of his nature. Regardless of the changes in settings, Li Shuguang’s works portray his morals and beliefs in a poignantly beautiful and melancholic style.

A full colour catalogue is available for this exhibition.