LI HUAYI: EXOTICA

Chinese contemporary ink painter Li Huayi (b.1948) has revitalised the spirit of traditional literati painting through experimental Western techniques. Born in Shanghai and trained in traditional ink painting from a young age, Li’s move to the States in the 1980s imparted an Abstract Expressionist flair to his works. Inspired by his pilgrimages to China’s famous mountains, the following decades saw Li push the boundaries of abstract painting by integrating elements of traditional Chinese landscape art. This culminated in a signature style featuring monumental, yet intimate, mountain landscapes reminiscent of the Northern Song Dynasty rendered in exquisite detail on gilded surfaces.