LI Guofang 李国芳

Overview

Highly, Clearly 高远清澈, 2021

Experimental Abstract Ink Art in an International Language

• LI Guofang advocates "experimental ink painting" as an indigenous form of contemporary art that both revitalizes and diverges from a traditional Chinese art form. What this artist provides is an "international art language", which not only confirms his own contemporaneity but also aloows him to incorporate indigenous art forms and expression into the Contemporary Chinese ink art of today. Such immersion inspires creativity as well as complification and misinterpretation. The art of LI Guofang has been created in the global sphere, a double vision from the East to the West, where he always reflects on international and intercultural issues through genuine artistic innovation. Always keeping his Chinese roots and original historial significance, LI Guofang finds himself in a complex challenge of innovation. LI Guofang tries out many daring ink experimentation leading to a diversity of practices that bear different results. Never has the art of ink known such diversity in the same artist, whether it is the exploration of new colors, new forms, new balance, new energy or the contrast between the traditional, the contemporary and the symbolism. In perpetual search of the artist, he achieves a subtle balance between mastery and freedom. His unique style weaves a link between ink painting in contemporary culture and Chinese calligraphy in traditional culture. The artist operates a real revolution, considerably widening the field of experimentation with Chinese ink.

• Since the 2017, LI Guofang returned from Europe to his hometown Shanghai. He opened his own art studio in M50. He started his new style on impressive contemporary ink painter experimenting various new expressions to embrace Expressionism, Abstract and Conceptual art, while retaining a foothold on the traditional subject matter and his continuous thoughts across the globe. The artist is able to internalize broad social and cultural issues in his works and he created an unique contemporary ink art style of his own through his engagement with the domestic and global spheres. At the same time, his works are full of the flowing lines and charm of poetry from the East, and the vivid and powerful appeal from the West. He is also an active art curator organizing national art exhibitions and cultural events of well-known Chinese contemporary artists in China.

• The work created by LI Guofang is unique and impossible to reproduce even in a similar style by the same artist, each work is an absolutely unique piece, since the inevitability controls the whole painting and non-stop artistic creation fluently with conscious and unconscious, also the characteristics of rice paper melting in water and the passion of expression make Chinese painting "chatty" many accidents. From the moment the brush and paper touched, the direction of the brush, the dryness of the brush, and all other influencing factors such as inversion, strength, and how long the brush stays on the paper of rice, the dryness and density of ink, the unknowable interaction and contingency continuously appear and react. The resonances can unconsciously stimulate our imagination, enchant our dreams, or quite simply bring our hearts back to the essential, namely nature, our wild nature.

Installation shots

Biography

Expatriate Artist Established Success in the USA, Europe and China

• Born in 1961 in Shanghai, China

1987: Bachelor degree of Oil Painting, Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, China
2000: Postgraduate degree, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, China
2004: Invited scholar visitor for the research of “Oriental Aesthetics and Modern Reconstruction of Painting”, in the Central Academy of Fine Arts and Florence Academy of Fine Arts, Florence, Italy
2006: Being representative artist in a gallery in Berlin, Germany
2009: Living and being representative artist a gallery in Amsterdam, Holland

2009- 2017: Exhibitions in Art Fairs, galleries expositions and art events around Europe

2017: Returned to Shanghai, opened own art studio in M50. He is also an active art curator organizing national exhibitions and art cultural events of well-known Chinese artists in China

• Until today: A dozens of international galleries in the USA, Europe and China constantly represent his artworks for gallery exhibitions and international art fairs. His work is mainly collecting by musems, art foundations and art charity organizations especially in Holland, France, Swiztherland, Germany, USA and China.

• Art Yī is the exclusive gallery of LI Guofang in Belgium.

Our latest exhibitions :

2022: "Day Dream", group exhibition, Brussels, Belgium

2022: London Art Fair, London, United Kingdom

2022: Affordable Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium

2022: "Horizon", group exhibition, Brussels, Belgium

2021: "Blooming" group exhibition, Brussels, Belgium

2021: Art Up Lille, Lille, France

2021: "Timeless", group exhibition, Brussels, Belgium

2021: "Art Exhibition for the Hommage of René Julien", Ramatuelle, France

and to be continued,...