Past Presence No.4

Past Presence No. 4 (2016) by Li Xiaofeng

Ceramic figurine, 70cm x 21cm x 21cm

Collector: Brian Wallace

I first came across Li Xiaofeng’s constructions in 2004 at the Pickled Art Centre in Beijing next to our residency program studios. He had collected antique shards and formed them into full-size contemporary dresses and jackets by shaping them, drilling holes and then stitching them together. The finished design and perfect form belied the painstaking and laborious work that went into the production. Early works were titled Beijing Memory, and indeed they were. Initially he was able to source Ming and Qing period shards from Beijing’s building sites outside the city wall as they were dug up in the city’s rampant construction drive.

Later he went to Jingdezhen where the imperial kilns are located and found a thriving market in antique shards from every dynasty. Bliss! He was keen to learn about porcelains and ceramics, and the processes involved, and by now has spent many years perfecting his skill to produce his own ceramic sculptures like Past Presence No. 4 (2016). The early series made from antique shards cannot be exported anymore, but these new ceramics can. They acknowledge the historical technical process needed to create the perfect work, which hopefully will last far into the future.

I have now worked with Li Xiaofeng for 20 years watching him indulge his passion in antique ceramics, then to develop the skills to make his own sculptures. I have exhibited his work nationally and around the world. I am lucky to have both a Beijing Memory and the Past Presence!

Brian Wallace

(Brian Wallace founded Red Gate Gallery in 1991 in Beijing’s iconic 600-year-old Ming Dynasty east corner (Dongbianmen) Watch Tower and for the past 33 years has been the director of this trailblazing gallery, now located in 798 Art Zone, that continues to showcase the best of contemporary Chinese art.)

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Beijing Memory No.5 ( 2009) by Li Xiaofeng

Qing period shards, 110cm x 70cm x 65cm