News
Li Jinghu in the First Edition of “FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art”
FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art
Exhibition Dates: 2018.07.14 – 09.30
Li Jinghu participates in the first edition of ‘FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art: An American City’ as a residency artist.
Taking place all across Cleveland and Northern Ohio, the first ‘FRONT International: Cleveland Contemporary Art Triennial’, running from July 15th to September 30th, features more than 120 artists from different parts of the world. The triennial brings together regional and international artists, curators, and scholars in proposing discussions rooted in the sociopolitical environments of our time. Through a series of exhibitions, online presentations, lectures, roundtable discussions, and video screenings, FRONT International aims to lead the world’s audience to re-recognize the history of the city. Eight Chinese artists are featured in the triennial, in addition to Li Jinghu, Asian Dope Boys, Cheng Ran, Cui Jie, Hao Jing Ban, Liu Shiyuan, Lin Ke and Zhou Wei are also included.
Li Jinghu will present his 2009 installation “White Clouds” at the Akron Art Museum. Living and working in Dong Guang, China’s manufacturing hub, Li’s works have attempted to shed light on the poor living and working conditions of the multitude of young Chinese citizens who drive the nation’s economic growth. Li Jinghu’s “White Clouds” (2009) consists a lattice of industrially produced light tubes delicately suspended in mid-air, does so quite literally.
At a time when white clouds that are visible at the outskirt of the villages have become fluorescent lights in factories, and most local workers have migrated from farmlands to production lines, what remains is the same labouring under the “White Clouds”. While making an obvious reference to the celebrated Minimalist aesthetic associated with artists such as Dan Flavin, the piece also alludes to how, in the artist’s native city of Dongguan, factory work continues long into the night to meet the demands of the global market, conducted under the same artificial glow that shines upon the viewer as they regard the piece.
Image: Li Jinghu, White Clouds, 2009, installation, white fluorescent tubes, fixtures, 1145 x 430 x 130cm
Installation view at Cleveland Triennial of Contemporary Art