Gate series No.2

Gate series No.2 (1993) by Li Xinhui

Mixed media on canvas, 1m x 1m

Collector: Sallie Beaumont

After finishing the untitled painting which I happily purchased (see description of the previous work), Xinhui spent about 6 months working on his Gate Series of which Untitled is the precursor. The technique was the same—his “stream of consciousness” method using hemp and plaster mixed into the oil and spread over the canvas—but this time the outcome is somewhat different. Whereas the white plaster people in Untitled are more solid in appearance and seem grounded into the painting, these are light and airy and abstract and appear to be gleefully dancing their way through the world. Each figure is so different and I love the way there is such a feel of movement with the spreading of the threads of plaster and hemp. I sense such joy in this work and the series as a whole.

This painting and the following one in this virtual gallery are much more sculptural than Untitled as layers of the hemp, plaster and oil mix have been painstakingly added on top of the one before making them heavier as works of art. Through the crunchy strands of plaster and hemp, all looping and twisting their way across the canvas like a multitude of intertwined Chinese noodles, glimpses of different colours can be seen from the layer of paint below. Close-up it creates a beautiful kaleidoscope effect. And on top of it all the little dancers twirl and pirouette, oblivious to any constraint. Are they spirits or enlightened humans? As a stream of consciousness work of art Xinhui himself probably has no definitive answers. Perhaps the only certain thing is it's the result of his own inner world the day he created it and I love what has spilled out onto the canvas.

Sallie Beaumont

(Sallie Beaumont lived, studied and worked in China from 1988-1998 which gave her the perfect opportunity to witness and engage with the burgeoning contemporary art scene.)