Endless Lines: Chinese Artist Gu Benchi’s Three-Dimensional Geometric Works

Description

Born in Shanghai in 1979, Gu Benchi is a designer-turned-artist whose practice is inspired by the abstract work of Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan (1872 – 1944).

Gu has taken geometric abstraction to a new level in his artworks, which he creates using coloured high-strength polyester thread that he weaves into three-dimensional wall hangings, sculptures and site-specific installations.

He begins every artwork with the shapes of square, rectangle and triangle that further become stars or diamonds or pure abstraction through the intertwining of the polyester threads. These interesting patterns are similar to the ceilings of ancient Chinese architecture and the altar structure in Buddhist paintings. In traditional Chinese culture, people believe that everything in the universe is cyclical, an idea that Gu reflects in his art by making the beginning and the end of the lines in his works undetectable.