Living in the Mountains

Li Xubai is a rare example of a contemporary painter and a poet. He uses negative space to convey snow, streams, rivers, clouds, and mists, radiating a glowing light that contrasts sharply with the darker tones of mountains and vegetation. In the style of classical landscape painting, Li does not employ perspective; the mountain flows in mid-air without revealing its peak or its bottom. Li’s landscapes are built by unconventional shapes, formed by jagged lines that twist and turn at abrupt angles. This exotic, geometric perception has provided a strange, almost digital sense of modernity in his work. Li’s works have been exhibited widely, including at the University Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Hong Kong, Saatchi Gallery in London, and the He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen.