Li Hongbo is a Beijing based artist that creates surprising and unusual works from paper. A book editor and designer, Li Hongbo began collecting and experimenting with paper and was inspired by the traditional Chinese toys and festive decorations known as ‘paper gourd’. Created from a stack of interconnected sheets of paper, Li Hongbo realized the simplicity of their ‘honeycomb’ composition and the boundless possibilities of their shape and properties. Thousands of sheets of paper are glued to create a large block. The artist carves this block to create a form that can be outstretched like an accordion, transforming the work into something completely different. Ocean of Flowers, the 18th Biennale of Sydney installation on Sydney’s Cockatoo Island is an example of such a work. Thousands of brightly coloured flowers create a sprawling landscape, though when the flowers are flattened they are revealed as weapons such as pistols and AK 47’s.

Li Hongbo’s work is included in numerous private collections and the White Rabbit Collection. DOMINIK MERSCH GALLERY is proud to present his first solo exhibition in Australia, investigating the circle of life, from birth to death.