Created By
Li Xi
Ink on canvas
Curator
Luke Chapman
Li Xi’s "The Soul of the Sword" exemplifies the artist’s innovative engagement with the legacy of Chinese ink painting. By merging meticulous, almost cartographic linework with expressive ink washes, Li Xi works blur the boundaries between control and chance, tradition and experimentation. This duality resonates with the curatorial ethos of the BK SIGG Collection, which seeks to document the breadth and evolution of Chinese contemporary art through works that both honor and challenge established conventions. In the context of the "Technically Collecting" exhibition, Li Xi’s work stands as a testament to the ongoing dialogue between past and present in Chinese contemporary art. The piece’s layered complexity mirrors the collection’s “web” structure, where each artwork’s significance is amplified by its connections to others, reflecting the broader narrative of transformation and cultural inquiry that defines the BK SIGG Collection.
Li Xi’s "The Soul of the Sword" is a striking meditation on the evolving language of Chinese ink painting, where meticulous, labyrinthine lines interlace with atmospheric washes to conjure a form that is at once ethereal and grounded. The composition’s central verticality and organic contours evoke both the disciplined tradition of classical scrolls and the unpredictability of natural forces, blurring the boundaries between control and spontaneity. In this piece, Li Xi invites viewers into a dynamic space where history and innovation coalesce, perfectly embodying the BK SIGG Collection’s commitment to documenting the ongoing dialogue between past and present, particularly in Chinese contemporary art.
Created By
Li Xi
104 x 128 cm | 41 x 50 in
2011
