(In)visible, an exhibition of work by ALL Prize winner Xinchen Li, will be on display at Arts + Literature Laboratory from Friday, March 17 to Saturday, April 15, 2023. An opening reception will be held Friday, March 24 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.
Exhibition Statement:
My exhibition focused on how my childhood memories and experiences shaped my imagery of objects by creating a place of remembrance for myself. I chose the furniture from the house I grew up in that has metaphorical and symbolic meanings to me. I explicitly chose a clock, a bed, a cabinet, a wardrobe, and a sewing machine. The design of these old furniture pieces also reflects the artisan's unique aesthetic and craft level for the working class in the seventies and eighties of China. It becomes a mapping of my generation's cultural background and belonging. I'm recreating the furniture with the 3D printing pen in life-size as a flashback to my memories. Besides, because of the fragile material, it also reflects the fictional nature of memory and tactility. The remaking process reclaimed my ownership of the family history and memories. The objects serve as observers of my upbringing and family's history.