Fresh Art Friday: Liu Di and Contemporary Chinese Art

Today I wanted to explore a little bit of the growing Asian art market and highlight young artist Liu Di.

 

Lui Di was born in 1985 in An Kang City, Shanxi. Asian artists, including those from mainland China, are are receiving a lot of international attention right now. The youngest generation of artists, such as Di, grew up in a post-Mao era with increasing Western influences and the ability to travel for school (1). Many of these artists are surprisingly contemporary and don't have obvious references to China in their work, but close inspection often reveals undercurrents of Chinese culture and contemporary social concerns (2). Like many of his contemporaries, Liu is currently exploring an explosion of urbanism in China.

This is a model of one transit-oriented developments in the northern Chongquing area. It is set to break ground Summer of 2013 and expects to accommodate 250,000 residences in 2,500 acres.

Artist Lui Di recently graduated from art school at the China Central Academy of Fin Arts but is already making waves with his first series Animal Regulation.  Lui Di got the idea for his series during a bus ride through the crowded suburbs of Beijing, which is filled with decrepit housing blocks. He 'felt the urge to add something that would make people take a fresh, long look at familiar scenes' (3). 

Animal Regulation No. 4, 2010

Using editing software, Lui re proportioned animals and inserted them into familiar urban settings. By wedging the animals awkwardly he highlights the relationships "between nature and human society, between the material world and the intellect, between obedience to and violation of the laws of nature" (4). 

Animal Regulation no. 8, 2010 

Animal Regulation no. 2, 2010

Lui Di won the prestigious Lacoste Elysee prize in 2010 and is represented by Pekin Fine Arts. 

Looking for a great article talking about Contemporary Chinese art? Check this out.