Game Spirit of Li Qing

Gu Zhenqing  

Artist Li Qing dabbles at wide range of mediums. Oil painting, installation, photography and video are all game components he plays skillfully with. However his attitude in treating the games is much focused and initiative, he would work thoroughly on one subject, until there is certain spirit formed through the process. Perhaps, this unique spirit is kind of the Chinese contemporary art methodology. 

In his earlier works, Li Qing did some paintings with representational images, such as the painting of Rene Magritte with picture in another picture, and he was interested in Rene Magritte’s work in earlier times. Representation of painting is an issue he has been questioning and investigating so far. The hypertext behind the representational images within such paintings, and the debates between real and fiction, the multi-layered meaning and complexity of real, imaginary, real fiction and truth in fiction. These questions have been hunting Li Qing until now. 

In the Western art history, it is pointed out that art is always in a continuous status of flux and developing with innovation within itself. The contemporary Western art history has its own logic of cultural evolution and its fundamental cultural force to enable it moving forward, which can be seem as a spiral process with self-criticism and self-denial, which give impetus to move beyond questions and boundaries. This is the original force behind the vitality of Western contemporary art of today. Differently, Chinese contemporary art is taking on the characteristic of inclusive manner, not only because it is taking advantage of copying, adapting and learning, it is also good at transforming, upgrading and innovating. The current Chinese contemporary art ecology presents a diversity of openness. The co-existence of western artistic system which consists of technique, methodology, forms and even artistic standard dated back to the classical art till the modern time, and the traditional Chinese value system and Chinese characteristic local art system, which is different from the Western system. At the sometime, the powerful Chinese traditional cultural heritage provides a strong background for the development of contemporary art in China. Li Qing and his contemporaries have to face such a global context, while also deal with the subtle Chinese art ecology and its unavoidable, or even fundamental problems. Should young artists act in local ways first and then participate in international context? Or should it be otherwise? Should they excercise the traditional Chinese principles within the Western thought framework? Or should it be otherwise? These challenges give Li Qing doubled opportunities and questions, in responding to the layers of complex problems; Li Qing acts with his unique way. He made the best use of his potential and start from the issues concern him the most, take creativity as the approach and inner power, and he persisted on his own way.                 

In fact, since Russian artist Alexander Rodchenko claimed that “the end of painting” in 1923, oil painting has been survived another couple of decades with the cultural logic of self-criticism and self-denial. However, if anyone who wants to go beyond the conventions of painting, there is indeed less chance to win. For Li Qing, the recognized difficulties of breaking through conventions of painting have stimulated the game spirit in his character. With a clear understating of his past experience, Li Qing knew and admitted that his mind consists of only knowledge from learning experience. However, Li Qing was quite impressed by his childhood visual game experiences, and this has given him the start point in freeing himself with his game spirit. Game spirit implies the process is more important than the result. Li Qing took the game spirit as a stimulus for him to explore and taking initiative to free subjective initiative and flexibility. Li Qing also took the advantage of our time, such as the digital technology, cultural globalization, combining with traditional hand drawing, he challenging and questioning the past in order to form his own style in his works. For Li Qing’s artistic appeal, the back and forth, the inside and outside of contemporary art are not as important as the exploration in his own artistic creativity methodology and construct his own artistic path and value space through it.          

 Series   

Started in 2005, theseries is the first important works of Li Qing. This series are all consists of diptych with two panels，which constitute intriguing parallel and visual game.  based on a popular children’s game, which is practicing children’s eyes and mind, the gist of this game is to spot out all the differences in a short time. Li Qing uses digitalized image to help him making the draft and then paint on it, his painting skill and the passionate brush works made the image rich in texture.  series gives viewers the first impression of two juxtaposition images with a merely apparent similitude, which lured observers to view it again and again in order to find out the tricks set by the artist. By placing the viewer’s perception into the first position in his painting practice, Li Qing challenged the pre-conditioned viewing principles of art works. The passive of viewing become positive participation when people looking at Li Qing’s work. In fact, by adopting the game mechanism to compare the two images, Li Qing managed to immediately bring viewer to notice his methodology and value behind the images, rather then stepping on the aesthetic valuing level. Li Qing possesses all the elements of an outstanding painter through his academic education, from the expressive brush movements, precise shapes, and the colour are all precisely presented on his paintings, however, Li Qing doesn’t fulfilled with his skill. The emergence of  is a sign of him taking on conceptual direction in his practice.  series challenges the idea that technical and painting languages are more important then the thought and concept behind works, which is typical academic way of thinking, whereas Li Qing takes on clear direction on conceptual exploration and investigate into visual perception. Li Qing’s artistic practice is in the same veil with oil painting practice of Yan Lei’s in 2002 and Liu Wei's in 2003, their initiative practices formed the earlier artistic exploration of adopting the digital technology into conceptual painting in China contemporary art.                     

In  series, diptych contains dual tease to the viewers. Firstly, in the process of comparison and identify differences in two similar paintings, viewers feels pleasure. Li Qing purposely ‘produces’ differences in the two panels, and lures viewers to notice more differences in depth. There are a lot of differences in brush traces between the two panels of diptych, this made the look of two panels similar, but are different almost in every brushes. The ancient Greek saying “no one can step in the same river twice”, the same as what can be seem from Li Qing work, likeness is relative and differences are absolute. The absolute differences are because of each brush movement of the artist, which reveals value of each movement. In this sense, each brush movements are different but without specified meaning. Thus, they become sentences of lection readout by the monk, which depicts the passes of time in the space.  

Secondly, in the two nearly identical panels, which is original and which is a copy? The direction of viewing will produce completely different psychology assumption. However, the artist dose not asks for certain direction of viewing, and not reveals which one is produced before or after which. Li Qing just gave a parallel context and he didn’t want to control the interpretation, instead, he gave the power to the viewers, which gives his work certain open strategy. When looking at  series, different viewer has their different interpretation and opinions. Sometimes viewers would try to identify a clue in the artist’s iconology and seek out the objective intention in producing such differences, but this is just one’s own wish. Li Qing finds his image resource from daily life, TV program and internet. Among his iconology, there are usual images he captured in daily life, such as a dresser with mirror, a slot machine, a corner in a room and a pagoda in park; There are unusual images he painted based on media coverage of international events, such as a global peak meeting, a British royal family’s wedding, a welcome ceremony of Chinese astronauts or big shot in a top fashion show and so on. Among which there are a lot of images are typical with specific representation meaning in photography history or contemporary media. In the international political events of the series, there seem a sequence within the two panels, the panel on the right seems are more imaginary with more fabrication in details then the panel on left, but there is no clue to tell which one created before which. All the altered details are based on Li Qing’s personal memories or even whatever in his thought for the moment and just express it out. In this series of diptych, differences are produced to reveal the different person in the same event, or the same person in different events, or the confusion of space and time, among which the sentiments, and subtle amalgam of emotions and thoughts are raised in Li Qing’s game spirit. 

Thirdly, through the visual game of  series, Li Qing subverted the concept of ‘original works’. The likeness and unlikeness among two panels in the diptych, which is playfully blurred the boundary between original works and versions of copy. Original works emphasize the independence, irreplaceability and exclusive unlikeness. Differently, art works with limited editions emphasize the interchangeability and similarity. Different from the above both situations, the diptyche inis displaying forms that are similar but not identical. By making the diptychs, Li Qing try to clarify the tension between original, copy, copycat and imitation. In painting , that Li Qing created in 2006. The panel on left side shows a man climbed on top of a mountain, which is based on the well-known image of created by German artist Caspar David Friedrich in 1818. In the left side panel, there is a back of an European gentleman wearing suite with stick in his right hand, in the painting on the right side, a man with the same gesture, but slim back and his cloth show that this is a Chinese young man, who would has a lot of ideals in his mind. In this diptych, two panels are with similar images and compositions, they looks alike each other, but differentiates in many details. They are not two versions of one painting, but two complementary parties, which are necessary to each other and the work’s meaning come from the union of these inseparable parts. The juxtaposition and alignment type of rhetorical approaches, depict two young men in different times but with the same attitude.          

 series

With the progress of conceptual game of the  series, Li Qing dose not give up the representational painting. Conceptual painting as a form has given him an advantageous positioning Chinese art ecology. Starts from here, Li Qing keeps experimenting within the iconology on the medium of painting. It was in 2007, he started the  series and he experimented with destructive and risky intervention in the painting process. This development signifies Li Qing’s departure from the academic system and its inertia.  

From the first look of series, its form of diptych seems a continuing of his previous series, but there is actually quite big differences between the two series. The diptych in the  series is displaying the result of the production process rather than the whole work. displayed in the Iberia Center for Contemporary Art in 2008, is a display of all elements. In the exhibition, each work consists of four pieces of two resource photos and two oil paintings panels, and accompanied with one video work. By making this series of work, Li Qing is revealing the mystery process of how artist creates an art piece. The first and second images are experimental resources and objects, which belong to the past, therefore it is displayed in the form of documentary photos. The other two oil paintings panels with similar images look like twin brothers. The accompanied videos documented the key moments in the production process, which is usually left behind art works. The images on the diptych are done with the assistance of digital technology in forming up the shape, this is to secure precise shape and the effectiveness for the next stages. The two paintings with expressive brush movements with similar images, at the same time both of them are well composed in the frame with careful planning and conceptual construction by the artist. However, all of these are to be destroyed in the process of pressing the two painting together with violence before it is dry. This process is documented in the video. Two oil paintings in the same size are pressed tight together, which we call “unity” and then been separated, the result is two oil paintings with different images are now wearing on each other’s colour and form, which makes them similar with each other. For experimentation, this violent destroy and mutation moments are much expected by Li Qing, and he knows whatever he gets is irreversible. This destroy moment will also bring effect which might exceeds Li Qing’s expectation, and become a visual miracle. The unexpected opportunity and risk fascinate Li Qing. 

Works , , in the series, the old images are destroyed while new images are giving birth. In this irreversible process, there is reconfirm and re-define the meaning of the new images. In the works  and, there are obvious double meanings evolved in both images. For , the two images become complementary parties, and the work’s meaning comes from the union of these inseparable parts. Every time when the reborn of the new images, it carries unknown result and uncertainty, which is the most fascinating process for Li Qing in the process of making the series. The experimental practice enable the artist to step across the existing boundaries and obtain an unpredictable possibility, this is the most lasting, even fatal temptation for Li Qing, an artist with game spirit.      

 series

Ping pong is another important game element for Li Qing. As the most popular and widespread sports exercise in China, it is also an metaphor for the international political relationship, especially in the case of China and American political relationships, Ping pong carries historical and political collective memories for people of both country. Li Qing’s exploration on Ping pong involved all sorts of components of this game, from the Ping pong ball to Ping pong table, from the specific Ping pong space to its game rules. Li Qing takes all sorts of Ping pong components into his experiment. He started with changing the normal function of a Ping pong table. The table been transformed into his painting canvas and wood carving material, even props in performance, form there, Li Qing share with the audience an unfamiliarity of Ping pong game. As a material for Li Qing’s experiment, Ping pong’s physical forms been restructured, permutated and recombined by the artist. Through the process, the artist suspended the normal understanding of a game and alienated and transformed the concept surrounding the game. In  series, Ping pong is the main material in his creation. In  (2007) and the  (2008), Ping pong balls and Ping pong table are the alternatives for canvas and paints. Li Qing kept his aesthetic interests even when he adopting completely conceptual and alternative materials and approaches. In works (2009),  (2009) and (2010),  From the composition of the balls and the carved lines on the Ping pong table, the control of rhythms are well combined. The etched, texture and the hand drawings on the Ping pong table become a complete unit, which implies the connections between human body and Ping pong. In  (2007), the artist tries to restore the Ping pong in its daily ready-made function. The installation  consists of a two sides Ping pong table, which was painted with maps of China and global maps on each side, In the process of playing Ping pong, the ball constantly picked up spots of pigment from the two maps as it went back and forth across the net. In the end, the red pigment of Chinese map were scattered over the whole table. This final status of the table is preserved by Li Qing as a linguistic code of a conventional work. In the process of producing and displaying of  the function of material can be switched to artistic expression, or juxtaposed with each other freely, within which Li Qing maximized his ability to rein on installation materials.                       

Li Qing dosen’t stop with the simple transformation of Ping pong game and its components. Obviously, continued enthusiasm can be noticed in his persisted exploring of the subject and patient in-depth investigation. In regard of Ping pong game, Li Qing focuses on its game logic and investigated the competitive spirit of the game. In 2008, he started installation series , which provided audience an immersion experience in his work. By this work, Li Qing realized another self-transcendence in his artistic development.     

is an installation encourages audience to participate. The competition space of the two players is separated by glasses in the middle of the Ping pong table, audience would enter the space practice playing Ping pong on the glasses in the middle, while they can see the other half of the space and another participating audience, but they can never truly play or compete with each other. In this space, they become imaginary enemy for each other.  can be participated with one audience or two audiences playing with themselves on each side. It is an installation with entertaining function. This series has certain connection with Li Qing’s diptych series, which has parallel visual effect, but  is more emphasis on the alteration of the game rule. The adaptation of glasses separating the space made the competitive and conflicting atmosphere of the game disappeared, instead, the participants on each space just become the mirage of communication and fake conflict for the people in other side, and the players are actually operating by their own and playing with themselves. No matter they play fiercely or relax, it’s just a self-entertaining and a sport game with one’s own. From the transformation of the functions of the Ping pong and its game components, to further altering the game rules, Li Qing upgraded the difficulty level in his experiment. In fact,  is an on-site installation with several possibilities. Firstly, the installation can be displayed as a cool, pure still-life installation without any subjective design and aspiration of the artist, thus this work will stay as a  pure experience relate only with rules. Secondly, when there is only one or two audience playing in the installation, other audiences outside become viewers of this stage of play, while they will be struggle psychologically with the thinking “get involved or not?”. Thirdly,  has the possibility of being expended to larger scale installation with four or more Ping pong space, and more audience would play at the same time, this would create a collective experience of participation, while absurdity under such hot participation become collective behavior, the participants are consciously or sub-consciously participated in such an altered game.      

Conclusion 

Li Qing’s afford in altering rules is his initial afford in expanding the breaking power into the institutionalized exhibition and viewing system of contemporary art. At the same time, the spirit of game has become his inner power, with which he would be break through the pre-conditioned rules in art practices. For Li Qing, the institution and rules of contemporary art is an experimental resource and his game objects. On another hand, Li Qing still believes the Chinese ancient saying “Not to rule, not into the radius”, so Li Qing gave each of his idea a sufficient and thoroughly investigation and further development in-depth, and he kept making effort in breaking through, challenging with even more crucial game spirit. Rules can make up a game, and rules can be broken in the artistic adaptation according to the context, rules have become a self-criticism and self-denial subject for the artist. This is Li Qing’s attitude towards 'rules', which would become part of his resource to built up his own system and methodology in the playfulness of his game spirit.  

For the moment, Li Qing is fascinated in his own visual games, maybe there is one day he would realize an art spirit out of his game spirit.