Li Jingwen
Visual & Installation Artist
Li Jingwen's work appears in the form of multimedia installations, elements of video, performances and objects. The body of work explores the individual's relationship to his or her personal experience in the present. Li's current practice predicates on knowledge that is gained from participation and personal history.
The project often begins with a survey prepared beforehand. Instead of confronting her subjects directly, Li sometimes invites various participants via the internet. Imageries along with themes and narratives are generated from the artist's dialogue with the subject with no pretense. Participants of the project would often make small sketches in response to the artist's survey.
Through collecting large amounts of information from her surveys, Li pieces together an identity using readymade materials in an objective fashion. The audience is invited to directly observe this anonymous information displayed within the installation, discovering various thoughts contained within.
As the artist conducts each project, Li sometimes discovers unfamiliar points of view that spark her interest. By spending weeks with her subject, she then selects elements of the subject's life and transform these moments into objects and film.
Residency Artwork
Trace — Jungle
Li's Wildbiyoo residence life in the jungle begins with a re-examination of the relationship between herself and nature. Then reviews the consequences of modern city life in a natural environment.
This project originated from some leaves seen in the jungle. The leaves have irregular white lines on the surface because of the effects of parasites. Li carved these textures into a collage of wood and places the work on the ground. As people walk over the woods, unconscious behaviours will form new traces.