|
PHILLIPSX PRESENTS LI JIN: THE WAY OF THE DRAGON
A Solo Exhibition Featuring Exceptional Works Spanning 30 Years of the Artist’s Career
On View at Phillips’ Asia Headquarters in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District from 5 December 2024 – 10 January 2025
Hong Kong – 3 December 2024 – PhillipsX, a selling exhibition platform operated by the global Private Sales team at Phillips, is pleased to announce Li Jin: The Way of the Dragon, a solo exhibition of Chinese contemporary ink painter Li Jin, taking place from 5 December 2024 to 10 January 2025 at Phillips’ galleries in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. Featuring Chinese calligraphy and ink paintings by Li Jin, the exhibition pays tribute to traditional Chinese culture, reviewing the artist's career spanning over 30 years from the early 1990s to the present. Li Jin draws inspiration from daily life, observing diverse cultures and social phenomena with an open perspective. He explores the expressive forms of traditional ink painting in a modern way, creating works that are both sincere and humorous.
Dina Zhang, Head of Modern & Contemporary Art, China, Phillips, said: "We are honored to collaborate with Li Jin to present Phillips’ first show dedicated to a Chinese ink painter. From flowers, birds, fish, and insects to famous Buddhist verses, Li Jin's autobiographical works capture the details of daily life. Art and life merge seamlessly in his creations, bursting with emotional resonance that touches viewers’ hearts. We welcome collectors and enthusiasts visiting our West Kowloon galleries to experience the charm of traditional Chinese ink art, exploring its deeper meanings and mysteries."
Li Jin said: "I am very pleased to collaborate with Phillips to present a new solo exhibition in Hong Kong after 10 years. I create art based on instinct, influenced by tradition and academic elements. Ink painting has been a way of reading and practicing for me since childhood, deeply impacting me. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the development of Chinese contemporary ink painting, and showcasing my decades-long exploration of ink art at this time holds great meaning for both me and Chinese ink art. This show brings together works I created over the past 30 years, from pieces made in Tibet in the 1990s to recent works painted during my stay in the Tiantai Mountains."
Li Jin is widely known for depicting themes of food and sensuality in contemporary life, using bright and rich colors with delicate brushwork. One of the highlights of this exhibition is The Heart Sutra, which took nearly a year to create and depicts a whimsical banquet scene. At the center of the painting is a voluptuous female body, a recurring theme in Li Jin's works, representing humanity's inescapable physical nature and innate desires. Surrounding the scene are various characters, including the German social theorist Max Weber, Sean Connery as James Bond from the film '007,' and a diverse array of ordinary people Li Jin encountered on the streets of Osaka, New York, and Berlin. There are also masked people and animals, as well as at least eight self-portraits of the artist himself, each embodying different roles, such as a Norman soldier, an Elizabethan merchant, a Brooklyn hippie, a drunken skiing accident victim, a disgruntled artist, and an Edwardian chauffeur. Displayed in the banquet are endless delicacies and fine wines from different countries. Interspersed among the indulgence in food and drink are texts from Buddhist scriptures and chants. Reciting or copying these texts, as Li Jin does, is a process of repentance, accumulating merit to offset the obsessions and sins of life.
Not only are there vibrant women and feasts of wine and meat, but Li’s paintings also depict everyday fruits and vegetables, all personally grown by him. His works capture the essence of ordinary life, sometimes full and passionate, other times lazy and leisurely. He combines his whimsical ideas, life insights, and exquisite skills, inviting viewers to appreciate his unique world and savor the beauty of life.
Born in 1958 in Tianjin, China, Li Jin graduated from the Chinese Painting Department of Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 1983 and served as an Associate Professor in the same academy. He has held solo exhibitions in China, the United States, Australia, Germany, and other countries. Today, his works are in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The National Arts Museum of China in Beijing, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others.
###
Location: Phillips Asia Headquarters, 3/F, WKCDA Tower, West Kowloon Cultural District, No. 8 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Date & Time:
ABOUT PHILLIPS Phillips: where the world’s curious and bold connect with the art, design and luxury that inspires them. As a leading global platform for buying and selling 20th and 21st century works, Phillips offers dedicated expertise in the areas of Modern and Contemporary Art, Design, Photographs, Editions, Watches, and Jewelry. Auctions and exhibitions are primarily held in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong, with representative offices based throughout Europe, the United States and Asia. Phillips offers a regular selection of live and online auctions, along with items available for immediate purchase. Phillips also offers a range of services and advice on all aspects of collecting, including private sales and assistance with appraisals, valuations, and financial planning. Visit phillips.com for further information.
PhillipsX is a dynamic selling exhibition platform operated by the global Private Sales team at Phillips, the destination for international collectors to buy and sell the world’s most important Modern and Contemporary art, design, and luxury items. Through PhillipsX, Phillips’ influence extends beyond the realm of auction and into the broader global cultural landscape by offering a boundary-less discovery, selling, and buying experience based on the traditional retail gallery model. PhillipsX highlights notable artists and creators of the 20th and 21st centuries, creating new and important dialogues around established and emerging artists, movements, genres, and mediums. Through PhillipsX, the team continues to modernize collecting experiences with imagination, expertise, and relevancy.
PRESS CONTACT: Ingrid Hsu, Head of PR and Corporate Communications, Asia ingridhsu@phillips.com +852 56316776 Jiayi Zhang, Public Relations Coordinator jiayizhang@phillips.com +852 2318 2080
PHILLIPS NEW YORK – 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022 PHILLIPS LONDON – 30 Berkeley Square, London, W1J 6EX PHILLIPS HONG KONG – G/F, WKCDA Tower, West Kowloon Cultural District, No. 8 Austin Road West, Kowloon, Hong Kong
|
|||||||
