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Lot Essay
Throughout the 1990s, Chinese artists were engaged in a relentless pursuit of new techniques and vocabularies to critically re-define the representation of their own existence. For Li Shan, one of the most prominent artists in Shanghai during this period, his notable Rouge Series is an exploration of the cultural gray zone that is a constant state of affairs in the Chinese society. His surrealist embodiments of images of Chairman Mao, along with his incorporation of his iconic pink floral motif, prompt the viewers to rediscover this grey area that is so often lost in the extremist character of this age.
Pre-rouge Empire I (Lot 184), Rouge Series – Goose (Lot 185) and Rouge Series (Lot 186) each represent a critical period of Li Shan's artistic development. The earliest of the three, Pre-rouge Empire I (Lot 184), demonstrates the significant artistic language that Li has continued to use throughout his career. The identical heads of young figures are arranged to encircle the core of a pink lotus. The lack of depth and surface quality of the work recalls the graphic effect of posters, while the bright and contrasting colors as well as the collage-like composition arrangement bring an element of kitsch to the work. In Rouge Series – Goose (Lot 185), viewers can observe the origins of Li Shan's later Reading Series which marked an important aesthetic transition from his depictions of political figures to animals. The goose becomes a figural representation that stands in opposition to the lotus petal and brings the viewers into a trance of surrealism. Lastly, Rouge Series (Lot 186) embodies Li's iconic exploration into the cultural memory of Mao's propaganda. As he places a collaged image of Mao against an ambiguous blue background, Li also decorates Mao's clothes with repeating patterns, continuing his tacky and kitsch design aesthetics. By incorporating Mao's image into his works, Li ultimately opens up a discursive discourse on China's historical past and the country's contemporary take on this turbulent history.
Pre-rouge Empire I (Lot 184), Rouge Series – Goose (Lot 185) and Rouge Series (Lot 186) each represent a critical period of Li Shan's artistic development. The earliest of the three, Pre-rouge Empire I (Lot 184), demonstrates the significant artistic language that Li has continued to use throughout his career. The identical heads of young figures are arranged to encircle the core of a pink lotus. The lack of depth and surface quality of the work recalls the graphic effect of posters, while the bright and contrasting colors as well as the collage-like composition arrangement bring an element of kitsch to the work. In Rouge Series – Goose (Lot 185), viewers can observe the origins of Li Shan's later Reading Series which marked an important aesthetic transition from his depictions of political figures to animals. The goose becomes a figural representation that stands in opposition to the lotus petal and brings the viewers into a trance of surrealism. Lastly, Rouge Series (Lot 186) embodies Li's iconic exploration into the cultural memory of Mao's propaganda. As he places a collaged image of Mao against an ambiguous blue background, Li also decorates Mao's clothes with repeating patterns, continuing his tacky and kitsch design aesthetics. By incorporating Mao's image into his works, Li ultimately opens up a discursive discourse on China's historical past and the country's contemporary take on this turbulent history.