A Thousand Plateaus Art Space is pleased to present Pattern XI-∞, a solo exhibition of emerging artist Bi Rongrong. Open on June 29, 2019, Pattern XI-∞ will feature her latest works centring on 'patterns'.
Originally inspired by posters and graffiti seen on British streets, the artist then furthered her investigation into the patterns spotted on the exterior walls and interior decorations of ancient architecture in European countries and Middle East, as well as on textiles and articles of everyday use. The patterns, on the one hand, could be deemed as 'skin' of different cities and cultural entities; and on the other, they are also a kind of fragmented records of the artist's life trajectory. As an organic whole, they are somewhat 'de-centralised', unpredictable and yet constantly expanding towards an infinite (∞) 'collective'. Ultimately, it would result into a map-like, or say 'topological', dynamism, which could cast light on the development of the artist's aesthetic vision and life experience during the course of time. Currently, no matter where the patterns are from, collectively they demonstrate a kind of 'eastern' aesthetic influence on European cultures. Such is both the result of the artist's own interest and artistic choices as well as a pleasant surprise that is beyond her expectation.
Through manual or digital processing, Bi Rongrong has transformed the patterns she collected into a variety of mix media works including painting, collage, fabrics, video and installation. Not only has the artist projected her comprehension and imagination of the patterns onto the works, but she has also integrated her memory, insights and experience into them. More importantly, the process features a combination of fragmented 'cultural skin' and individualised 'aesthetic taste'. If 'ego' could only exist in its observation, perception and actions on the world, Bi Rongrong's practice following 'patterns' could be seen as a journey of discovery of 'ego', its interplay with the world as well as the poetry and melancholy scattered along the way.
Born in 1982 in Ningbo and lives and works in Shanghai. In recent years, when visiting a city, Bi kept collecting images of local cities, such as the ornamental patterns of architectures, and through manual or digital processing, she has transformed them into a variety of mix media works including painting, collage, fabrics, video and site-specific installation. In her works, the applied fragmented patterns lose the original context and appear as another abstract forms, to transform the space into a pictorial landscape.
A Thousand Plateaus Art Space was founded in 2007 in Chengdu, China. It is a professional gallery committed to present and promote China’s contemporary art. Equipped with exhibition hall for artworks and collection and screening room for video data, it is mainly on researching, presenting and promoting outstanding works and experimental projects of China’s contemporary art and culture, actively carries out domestic and international cooperation projects.
