Studio Gallery is pleased to announce that Li Jiaqi's solo exhibition in the gallery space, AMBULANCIAGA, will be presented from May 18 to June 30, 2024. The exhibition focuses on the artist's latest paintings from the past two years, as well as some of his previous ready-made and video works.
In Li Jiaqi's latest paintings, many screen images and classic brands are appropriated, some of which blend in some 'a-ha' moments from life, such as a friend's words or a piece of news from the entertainment industry. As the exhibition's title AMBULANCIAGA suggests, it combines the words 'AMBULANCE' and 'BALENCIAGA' to create a seemingly illogical yet richly humorous space for interpretation.
Drawing from visual memories of popular culture, a sense of cultural vacuum brought by exotic aesthetic influences, and the hidden consumer logic behind various symbols, Li Jiaqi deconstructs and recombines them like ready-made materials, forming familiar yet uncanny visual structures that allow viewers to easily immerse themselves. However, as the gaze wanders, it may be struck by strange lighting, surreal textual meanings, and fall into a reverie.
Influenced by his father, Hollywood movies like The Matrix, Fast & Furious, Jurassic Park, and _True Lies _became Li Jiaqi's childhood visual memories and aesthetic accumulation. Therefore, the fictional, superficial, fantastical, impactful, dramatic, and referential 'Hollywood' aesthetic traits have embedded in Li Jiaqi's works. Meanwhile, the screen, as the objective environment of this generation's upbringing, with its digital, fictional, and advertising visual elements, inevitably becomes an important stylistic feature in his artworks: smooth bubble texts, leather-like, glass-like, and shiny objects. Correspondingly, the colours are vibrant, with most paintings set against a black background or nighttime scenes, where light plays a crucial role. For us, the artificial light emitted from various screens today is akin to a flame to moths.
Years of parallel experience in creating ready-made sculptures have given painting a different meaning for Li Jiaqi compared to many other painters. Painting, as a material, has never existed independently in his hands. The struggle between concepts and painting is an essential aspect of Li Jiaqi's works. Clearly, in his latest series of works, the artist has decided to give more agency to the images and compositions, creating a theatrical sense in the paintings that resemble movies more. Concepts participate in a more intuitive, sensory way, supporting and enriching the conveyance of information in the paintings, forming a unique 'Li Jiaqi' style of humorous texture.
Press release courtesy Studio Gallery.
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