On August 3, 2013, a large-scale video exhibition of artist Tian Xiaolei is about to open at the Songzhuang Art Museum. It will feature his seven works from 2007 to the present. In a poetic way, the artist shows a huge spiritual world in a small computer. It isn’t easy to realize a dream in the real world, where there are too many objective restrictions, while in the computer he has the freedom to create like God, constantly constructing his virtual world with a rich imagination.

Created in 2010 through to 2011, “Paradise” and “Ode to Joy” are both colored works wealthy of imagination and an atmosphere of suffocating tension, fiction of an island like a “joy" playground with a clue to the company staff in the realistic life, exploring the relationship between false happiness and true pain, the true meaning for the staff of a company to live in a consumer period and a time of desire. “Spring and Autumn”, “Landscape 36.5”, “Empty”, as well as the new works “Relationship” exude an unique temperament, adopting monochrome that is black and white, a removal of material, light and shadow, filled with white mist, simple but full of mystery. Tian Xiaolei is inspired by Chinese traditional culture, paying more attention to the reflection of the ultimate questions of humans. Where will life go? What is the root of human pain? What will happen when a desire reaches its limit? What is the strength that makes it impossible for us to escape? The artist deduces the things that are understood without an unique artistic perspective, making all the images on the screen seem to lack logic except for the existence of regularity, while his animation is more like an abundance of questions, staying away from blankness and waiting for answers.

Born in Beijing, Tian Xiaolei, graduated from the Digital Media Studio of CAFA, currently lives and works in Beijing. This exhibition showcases seven pieces of his works including:

“World”, 2007, video, 4min 40s

I create an environment of my “world”, the audience are led into the “world” by wandering.

“Paradise”, 2010, video, 5min 21s

A city of desire and scenes of debauchery, filled with flashing neon lights attracts countless yearning people.

“Landscape 36.5”, 2011, video, 5min 23s

I would like to produce an animation that is pure and freehand. I would like to remove the complicated colors, material, to form a dreamlike mysterious world with the use of a simple human morphological language.

“Ode to Joy”, 2011, video, 9min 56s

I want to explore the relationship between false happiness and real pain, the true meaning of living in the period of consumers and a time of desire.

“Spring and Autumn”, 2012, video, 2min 52s

I imagine that “death” is a plant of vitality, growing and spreading through “l(fā)ife”.

“Empty”, 2012, video, 2min 37s

I imagine that the soul of human is eternal in the universe, going into one end from another end.

“Relationship”, 2013, Video, 11min 7s

About the exhibition

Curator: Fang Lei

Host: Songzhuang Art Museum

Organizer: Beijing Snow Landscape Culture and Arts Co., Ltd.

Opening Time: 15:00 pm, August 3, 2013

Duration: August 3 - September 12, 2013

Venue: Ground floor of Songzhuang Art Museum

Translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO