Violence on Demand: A Solo Exhibition by Shanghai-based artist Li Jingxiong

Description

Much of Li’s work suggests a connection between violence and the rising consumerism in China. He often burns branded clothes and arranges the remains into collages of blackened fabric, highlighting the helplessness of the individual in a world controlled by corporations.

The artist’s current work expands on “Baiyin”, a previous series that was loosely based on a serial murder case in China. His more recent installations continue this examination of violence. But instead of focusing on acts committed by individuals, LI is now looking at how society itself fosters violent behaviour.

In “Violence on Demand”, he uses burned objects and dismembered figures to allude to what LI perceives to be the reality of present-day China, where schools resemble factories and where economic and political injustice have given rise to oppression and brutality.