Li Shan – New Works and Selected Works from the 1970s

James Cohan Gallery Shanghai is pleased to present its second solo exhibition with the Beijing-based painter Li Shan.

The exhibition features twenty-two new paintings created in the past year, many of which were done outside of mainland China, in Munich and Passau, Germany, as well as in Hokkaido, Japan. Travel has played an integral role in Li Shan’s new works, from the casual European street-scenes such as Hutong in Passau or White Chapel, or in the visually brisk snowscapes like Morning at the Snow Field, and the mysterious night scene in Fallen Snow. Her paintings continue to speak of the artist’s personal journey and sense of place. Li believes, as she often says, “Each painting tells a story.”

Also on view will be a small selected group of twelve early works from the 1970s. Among them are the classic themes and subjects that have continued throughout her career, featuring lakeside views, shorelines, Chinese architecture and gardens, trees and flowers, as in Cloves, Golden Willow, Pagoda Tree Blossom and A Cozy Courtyard – subjects that the artist has returned to over many years. In keeping with her original Wuming Group (“No Name”) past and spirit, her paintings continue to be painted on portable-sized canvas boards or oil on paper. And, at first glance, they might seem wildly unfashionable or even anti-contemporary by today’s standards or present moment. However, Li Shan’s paintings remain vitally relevant in practice and in attitude. If “each painting tells a story,” as the artist asserts, it would seem also true that her paintings tell us about the unique, singular way in which Li Shan experiences and sees the world and, perhaps, how we too might stop to take a longer look around.

Li Shan (b. 1957) started painting in 1971. Her works have been widely exhibited and included in numerous museum exhibitions, including The “No Name” Group Retrospective Exhibition, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou and Shanghai Zhengda Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, 2007; and “The Art and China’s Revolution”, Asia Society, New York, 2008, and are also in the permanent collections of Guangdong Museum of Art and Shanghai Zhengda Museum of Modern Art, as well as in distinguished private collections in Australia, Canada, China, Europe and the United States. Li Shan lives and works in Beijing and is an avid snowboarder.

Gallery hours Tues-Sat 10 am – 6 pm, Sun 12 – 6 pm, and by appointment

上海柯恩画廊荣幸宣布即将推出北京艺术家李珊在本画廊的第二次个展。展览将于2015年 9月7日（星期一）开幕，并将持续至10月17日。 为艺术家举办的酒会将在9月7日（星期一）下午五点到八点举行。与此同时，西岸艺术与设计博览会，余德耀美术馆及许多其它令人激动的活动都将于本周在上海开幕。

本展将包括22件李珊去年创作的新作品，其中很多是在国外创作的，包括德国的慕尼黑和帕绍，以及日本北海道。从《帕绍胡同》或是《白色教堂》等信手拈来的欧洲街头场景到如《雪场的早晨》这样视觉上清冷的雪景，以及《压雪》中非常神秘的夜景，旅行在李珊的新作中占有很重要的作用。本次展览的作品持续表现艺术家的个人旅行中的场景，就如她广为人知的1970年代作品主要描绘北京及其周边。李珊相信，正如她所常说，“每件作品都在诉说一个故事。”

同时展出的还将有精选的12件作于1970年代的早期作品。其中有在她的创作中常常出现的经典题材：河边的场景、海岸线、中式建筑与花园、树和花，如《丁香》，《金色柳树》，《槐花》和《小院》——这些都是艺术家在多年以后重新回归的题材。在保持她“无名画会”时期的精神方面，李珊继续在方便携带的尺寸的画布或纸上作画。并且，初看这些作品似乎非常不时髦，甚至在今天或现阶段的标准下显得反当代。然而，李珊的绘画仍保持着和当下极其相关的创作和态度。如艺术家所言，如果“每件绘画都在诉说一个故事”，那她的作品告诉我们的也将是李珊独特而唯一的体验以及她看待这个世界的方式，可能，也包括了我们为什么会驻足停留。

李珊（生于1957年）从1971年开始作画。她的作品曾在很多美术馆的展览中被展出，其中包括在广州广东美术馆的《无名画派回顾展》，2007年在上海正大当代艺术博物馆的展览，以及2008年在纽约亚洲协会的《艺术和中国的革命》。此外，她的作品也被广东美术馆和上海正大当代艺术博物馆纳入永久馆藏，并进入澳大利亚、加拿大、中国、欧洲及美国的多个重要私人收藏。李珊居住和生活在北京，是一个热忱的滑雪者。

www.jamescohan.com

Location:
James Cohan Gallery Shanghai
1F, Building 1, No. 1 Lane / 170 Yue Yang Road
200031 Shanghai
China