Secondary
Artist: Li Tao
2019.5.30 – 2019.7.14
KWM artcenter is pleased to announce that Li Tao’s solo exhibition entitled ‘Universe · Secondary’, an exhibition project co-initiated by Tabula Rasa Gallery and KWM artcenter will open on May 30, 2019 in the two spaces simultaneously. ‘Universe’ presented by Tabula Rasa will exhibit until July 30 and ‘Secondary’ presented by KWM artcenter will exhibit until June 29. The two spaces will respectively exhibit Li Tao’s latest two series of large-scale installations, which demonstrate comprehensively Li Tao’s thought and exploration in material, shape and space.
In the series of ‘Universe’ presented by Tabula Rasa, Li Tao makes extensive use of industrial materials and finished products made of aluminium, and presents unfamiliar structures and textures by cutting, bending and casting. The artist molded steel bars of various lengths, commonly used building materials, into a sphere, and welded the deformed aluminium water tank plate to the sphere, creating a seemingly unfinished “intermediate state”. The hemispherical community scattered on the ground, and the exposed cylindrical structure on the side, form a large-scale, unrecognizable installation, which is neither geometric abstraction nor based on logical interpretation. It is an original, the unstable condition, showing a holistic aura. Through the reconstruction and recreating the functional form of the materials, Li Tao gives the material a new perspective and aesthetic value.
Different from the metallic world like the other dimension constructed by the ‘Universe’ series, the ‘Secondary’ series shown at KWM artcenter presents abundant color because of its multivariate combination of materials. Secondary materials, referred to herein, are secondary materials derived from the primary materials. Among them are polycarbonate (PC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), rubber wood timber, rubber and other commonly used materials, such as polyimide (PI), polyoxymethylene, polyurethane plate, nylon, polyfluortetraethylene which are relatively unfamiliar industrial materials in life. If we say the grafting of second-hand industrial finished products in ‘Universe’ points to “familiarity” through “unfamiliarity”, the works in ‘Secondary’ use “unfamiliar” materials to point to the confusing “familiarity”. Hard, soft, sharp, gelatinous, and fragile, these lines, meshes, holes, and winding cables are combined into an indescribable complex creation through superb craftsmanship. Through the appropriation of the spatial system in reality, a spacious parallel world dissociated between abstraction and reality is reconstructed.
About the Artist
Li Tao
He was born in Zhengzhou, Henan Province in 1971. He graduated from Henan University, oil painting department in 1995, and Hubei Academy of Fine Arts with a master’s degree from the printing department in 1998. Now he lives and works in Beijing. His solo exhibitions include Broken Surface and Line: Li Tao Solo Exhibition, Taao Arts Center, Beijing (2010); The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, F5 Art Space, Beijing (2007). He participated in group exhibitions including Beijing Times Art Museum, Chengdu Biennale, PIFO Gallery, Asia Art Center, Taipei. In 2018, Li Tao was represented by Tabula Rasa Gallery at the Beijing Contemporary Art and Art Shenzhen.
KWM artcenter
The KWM artcenter opened on 20th October 2016. It is located on the second floor of the WFC centre CBD in Beijing. The Art center is supported by the law firm King & Wood Mallesons. The KWM artcenter presents and promotes artists both domestically and overseas as well as building up its own collection. In particular, it acts as a rare art institution at the heart of the economic central area in Beijing. It provides high-quality art educational activities and courses aimed to cultivate art lovers and collectors. It serves to improve the international influence of Chinese Art and become a powerful communicator of Chinese Contemporary Art.
