Liu Yi: Transition

中文

Liu Yi: Transition
Solo Exhibition ShanghART M50, Shanghai

Date: 11.07, 2023 - 12.23, 2023

Artists: LIU Yi 刘毅

Opening: 7 November. 2023 4pm
Duration: 7 November. - 23 December. 2023
Location: ShanghART M50, Bldg 16, 50 Moganshan Rd., Putuo District, Shanghai, China

ShanghART M50 is delighted to announce "Transition", a solo project by artist Liu Yi, which is the premiere of the artist's video work "When I Fall Asleep, My Dreams Come", which has been in preparation for many years. The exhibition will open on November 7th and run until December 23rd.

Human contemplation of consciousness, existence, and the universe has never ceased since ancient times. The artist finds herself increasingly entering the same type of dreams, akin to the phenomenon of "information cocoons" in real life. In these dreams, the perceptual system guides the content based on one's historical behavior and interests, thereby limiting the diversity within the dream world. The work draws creative inspiration from dreams and multiple realities.

The production of the ink and wash animation employs frame-by-frame hand-drawing techniques, taking two years and involving tens of thousands of sketches. It invites the audience to enter the intersection of dreams and reality, immersing themselves in the misty, sorrowful drizzle of old houses in the Jiangnan region. The approximately 5-minute ink and wash animation, "When I Fell Asleep, My Dream Came," portrays an endless loop of dreams that shackle oneself in a state of melancholy. The frame-by-frame ink and wash animation flickers on the screen, sketching elusive memories and perceptions. The imagery freezes in a moist state before the rice paper dries, each flowing frame subtly alluding to tear-filled sorrow. This is further connected to the twinkling rain lines in the spatial installation, constructing a tapestry of genuine emotion and fantastical recollection.

Though consciousness is not material, it has become a mysterious particle dependent on a material foundation. It serves as a conduit to the external world, allowing us to reach another space. Dreams thus become the interwoven link between our memories and parallel universes. When we dream of past experiences, we are communicating with another self in a parallel universe who shares common memories with us. Each dream becomes an experience of our alter ego in another parallel universe.

Liu Yi

Liu Yi was born in 1990 in Ningbo, China. She obtained her Master's degree from the China Academy of Fine Arts in 2016. Currently, she resides in Hangzhou. Her primary research focus is on "Early Chinese art films and experimental animation." She utilizes various mediums such as animation, multimedia, and space installation to reflect her daily experiences and explore the potential of her works. Through her eclectic creations, audiences are able to delve into a distinct parallel world.

Her video works include such as "Morning and Dusk, “No More," "Burning," "When I Fall Asleep, My Dream Comes","Origin of Species," "Chaos Theory," "A Travel Inward," "Into The Void," "A Crow Has Been Calling for a Whole Day," and "The Earthly Men." Additionally, her collaborative stage works such as "Spring, River, Flower, Moon, Night" and "Idyllic Lives." Liu Yi's video works and installations have been exhibited in renowned museums and institutions worldwide, including the Animist Tallinn Festival Exhibition, Jing'an International Sculpture Project, Cyprus Museum, New Chitose Airport, Centre for Heritage Arts & Textile, Power Station of Art, Times Art Museum Beijing, Hanshan Art Museum Suzhou, and Seoul Museum of Art.

In 2017, her work "A Crow Has Been Calling for a Whole Day" was selected for the Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) and later received the "Special Recommendation" award at the Hua International Short Film Festival. In 2018, Liu Yi was invited to participate in the SeMa Nanji Residency Project at the Seoul Museum of Art. The following year, she was invited to The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud in Anjou as an artist in residence and served as a jury member for the Cyprus Animation Film Festival. She also completed an exhibition during her residency program in Cyprus. Her works have been collected by esteemed institutions such as the White Rabbit Contemporary Chinese Art Collection, the East Asia Library of Stanford University, and the M+ Collection.