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Li HuaYi,the Chinese contemporary artist.
Whether in real life or creative life, people should have their own stands and judgments and not be influence by people around them. The Chinese contemporary artist, Li HuaYi, jokes that he was once young and naïve and was once influenced by the surrounding environment that led him to the obsession of the exotic world.But as he ages and with the increase of knowledge, he realized the Chinese heritage culture embodies very deep Chinese history and uniqueness of the exotic wilderness. He turns his attention to landscape, seeking inspiration from nature and discovers the source of creativity.
Li Huayihas been well-acclaimed as the successorof the Three Painting Masters of the Song Dynasty, as well as the “Top Master of Ancient Chinese Art”.Hewas born in 1948 in Shanghai. At the age of six, he began to learnink painting from Wang Jimei, and at sixteen, was introduced to Western art theory and practice by his teacher Zhang Chongren. Li Huayi immigrated to San Francisco and entered the San Francisco Academy of Art shortly after the Cultural Revolution wound down in 1982.
Li HuaYi in Hu Bei,China,2015
Two years later, he graduated with a master’s degree.Over the years of experimenting different creative forms, Li Huayi matured in his painting techniques and started exploring new possibilities of combining Chinese art element and abstract painting, as he took on a specific challenge – to create something new in the most important traditional Chinese painting theme: landscape.
Li Huayi launched his first solo gallery exhibition“Exotica: Latest Works of Li Huayi”(Exotica) in Hong Kong on March 22, organized by Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, featuring seven new art work of Li Huayi, unveil to the public for the very first time.“Exotica”is Li’s latest series of large scale, monumental landscape paintings, highlighting the fruit of his adventures in recent years, first began in 2006. Li Huayi has traveled extensively through exotic places all over the world, including many historic sites and heritage scenic areas of remote areas, and even to inaccessible areas, including Huangshan (Anhui), Lushan (Jiangxi), Wuyishan (Fujian), Zhangjiajie (Hunan) and Huashan (Shanxi). The exhibition lasts until 21 May 2016.
Li Huayi respects the long history of Chinese art, but he never finds inspiration within.Li believes the ease of travel and communication nowadays has opened the windows for people to visit those exotic areas previously located in inaccessible and remote areas that were not available for people in the past. Why not make the use of what nature provides us and discover the art in nature? A lot of us strive for utopia all our lives, but just like Li Huayi, we should be looking for the calmness and silent energy in our inner lives. Li Huayi visited many extraordinary places around the world to capture new insights of what they bring to his creative world, rather than admiring their beauty and outer appearance. Li Huayi constantly challenges himself in the road of creativity, looking for deeper and newer meanings.
Li Huayi, Immortal Mountain-Pureland Streams, 97x159cm, Ink on Paper 2014
Utopia is only a perfect world of its own unless we continue to explore, venture, and open new creative opportunities.
Mountains, river, bamboos and rocks are the centre of his art work. The exhibition presented at Eskenazi Gallery, London in 2014 featured his artworks of waterfall, rocks and bamboos. As Li mentioned, organising a new exhibition is easy, but it does not apply to the case when you want to reach a higher zenith. As a long-lasting theme in painting, landscape is not only a mere physical phenomenon but also a spiritual existence. Artists always demonstrate a respect for nature in their paintings, and they also symbolize the vitality of nature as a metaphor of a perseverance of life. According to Li, the meaning of external environment does not depend on its appearance only, but also the perception of the viewers.
Therefore, Li’s paintings are not the direct documentary of the landscape; it is rather a new world created by Li after imagination, mediation, and transformation of his emotional experience generated in his travel. Li has been visited to different scenic, historic, and cultural sites, such as Huangshan (Anhui), Lushan (Jiangxi), Wuyishan (Fujian), Zhangjiajie (Hunan), and Huashan (Shanxi), etc.
Li Huayi began to learn ink painting from Wang Jimei at the age of six.As a unique art form of Asia, contemporary ink painting is used as the mean to present the breath-taking natural sceneries. Ink painting is a deeper and subtler way of presentation when compared to the shiny and sharp appearance of oil painting.Li reckoned that oil painting is the art of the sun, while ink painting is the art of the moon; as the latter is related to the cultural context and life philosophy of Asian culture, as well as possesses the environmental-friendly and chemical-freefeatures.Ink painting uses solvent and soft paper that generates a kind of intimacyto the audience.When viewing ink painting and oil painting, the viewers can react differently. For example, the audience may be excited and nervous when appreciating western paintings. On the contrary, they may calm themselves down and mediate when viewing ink paintings, obtaining energy of peace because of itsmoon-like and subtle nature.
Li Huayi,Untitled, 86x204cm, Ink & color on paper 2015
Contemporary art is an important element in the creative world and there is no ambivalent with tradition. Tradition is a spirit. Many new products nowadays apply new advancing technologies yet you can still the role tradition plays.Li Huayi believes ink brush painting as a traditional tool/technique has its amazing power, it can fully demonstrate the magic of contemporary art. Similar to the work of architects, they use reinforce concrete as building materials, yet they can also use traditional materials, such as wood, rocks and bricks to build. Contemporary ink brush painting is the art of using traditional materials to create a new form of art. Li believes that materials are not important, what is important is the spirit and soul behind the art work.
According to Li, contemporaneity means sentimental feelings we achieve while performing artistic work, it is what we feel and think with our hearts. To Li, the difference between Eastern and Western work is the issue with space; contemporary art, however, is about time experience, delivering different artistic experience. Different artists and viewers are encouraged to use their unique ways and values to appreciate the art work, searching for their own existence.
For young people who are passion towards ink brush painting, Li is very humble and said he should learn from the young people because they often have more fresh ideas, and this is very valuable in the creative world. Li’s teacher is already over 90 years old but his art works show no sign of aging, often brings surprises to his audiences.
After living in foreign country for many years, Li Huayi adopts the words of Zao Wou-Ki that only when you reside in foreign culture that you feel the originality of your own country’s heritage. We get influence easily by our surroundings and other people when we were young, but as we mature, we slowly understand and appreciate the value of our own rooted heritage.Looking back on his achievements, Li constantly reviews his creative venturing process and is still continuing to searching and building a better self - a never ending process. Every time Li comes across great mountains and river, he looks into discovering an all new perspective from the exotic world and devotes efforts to create an all newfree spirited world.
