Dinu Li
Encyclopedia
Born in Hong Kong
, China
, Dinu Li is an artist currently living and working in Manchester
, UK. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the 53rd Venice Biennale
in 2009, the 3rd Bucharest Biennale
in 2008; The Map: Navigating the Present at Bildmuseet, Umeå
, Sweden
; Museumsnacht in St Gallen, Switzerland
; Where Memories Take Me at the Petra Rietz Salon, Berlin
; Central Asian Project at Space, London
and Cornerhouse, Manchester; and Liminal Britain at San Antonio Art Gallery, Texas.
Dinu Li’s practice encompasses film
, photography
, video installation
and performance
. Drawing inspiration from archives, world histories, anecdotes, chance encounters and the figments of imagination, Li’s work explores the politics of space and the poetics of time, and is characterised by the interplay between the public and the private, the global and the local, and the personal and the political.
Li has undertaken residencies in Kazakhstan
, China
, the New Forest
, UK and in New York City
. He has participated in numerous symposiums including Tate Modern
, The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Li’s work has been reviewed in Portfolio, Next Level, NY Arts Magazine and is featured in Charlotte Cotton’s The Photograph as Contemporary Art, by Thames and Hudson. In 2007, Li published a major monograph of his work The Mother of All Journeys by Dewi Lewis Publishing, and was short-listed in the same year for the Contemporary Book Award at the Rencontres d’Arles Awards. He is currently an ArtSway Associate.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Dinu Li is an artist currently living and working in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, UK. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the 53rd Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 2009, the 3rd Bucharest Biennale
Bucharest Biennale
The Bucharest Biennale is a contemporary art festival held every two years in Bucharest, Romania. The first Biennale was held in 2005, with the following one held in May-June 2006. From 2006 onwards, the festival will be held every two years...
in 2008; The Map: Navigating the Present at Bildmuseet, Umeå
Umeå
- Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
; Museumsnacht in St Gallen, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; Where Memories Take Me at the Petra Rietz Salon, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
; Central Asian Project at Space, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Cornerhouse, Manchester; and Liminal Britain at San Antonio Art Gallery, Texas.
Dinu Li’s practice encompasses film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
, video installation
Video installation
Video installation is a contemporary art form that combines video technology with installation art, making use of all aspects of the surrounding environment to affect the audience. Tracing its origins to the birth of video art in the 1970s, it has increased in popularity as digital video production...
and performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
. Drawing inspiration from archives, world histories, anecdotes, chance encounters and the figments of imagination, Li’s work explores the politics of space and the poetics of time, and is characterised by the interplay between the public and the private, the global and the local, and the personal and the political.
Li has undertaken residencies in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, UK and in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He has participated in numerous symposiums including Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
, The British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Li’s work has been reviewed in Portfolio, Next Level, NY Arts Magazine and is featured in Charlotte Cotton’s The Photograph as Contemporary Art, by Thames and Hudson. In 2007, Li published a major monograph of his work The Mother of All Journeys by Dewi Lewis Publishing, and was short-listed in the same year for the Contemporary Book Award at the Rencontres d’Arles Awards. He is currently an ArtSway Associate.
Key works
- Family Village, 2009
- Ancestral Nation, 2007
- The Mother of All Journeys, 2007
- Slightly Less Than Four Times The Size Of Texas, 2007
- Chronicle of a Dream Foretold, 2007
- Episodes of Time, 2007
- Press The Star, Then Say Hello, 2007
- Age of Transition, 2005
- Secret Shadows, 2002
Solo exhibitions
- 2010 Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is Mystery, QUAD, DerbyDerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, UK - 2009 Family Village, Danielle Arnaud, London
- 2009 Family Village, text + work, the Gallery, the Arts University College at Bournemouth, UK
- 2009 The Mother of All Journeys, Amelia Johnson Contemporary, Hong Kong
- 2008 Ancestral Nation, ArtSway, UK
- 2008 The Mother of All Journeys, Museumsnacht, St Gallen, Switzerland
- 2008 Press The Star, Then Say Hello, Manchester Art GalleryManchester Art GalleryManchester Art Gallery is a publicly-owned art gallery in Manchester, England. It was formerly known as Manchester City Art Gallery.The gallery was opened in 1824 and today occupies three buildings, the oldest of which - designed by Sir Charles Barry - is Grade I listed and was originally home to...
, UK - 2008 Where Memories Take Me, Petra rietz Salon, Berlin
- 2007 The Mother of All Journeys, 42 New Briggate, LeedsLeedsLeeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, UK - 2007 Chronicle of a Dream Foretold, The Bigger Picture, Manchester, UK
- 2005 Age of Transition, BCA Gallery, Bedford, UK
- 2005 As If I Were A River, Bury Arts Gallery & Museum, UK
- 2004 Outside Are Our Dreams, Chapman Gallery, SalfordCity of SalfordThe City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
, UK
Selected group exhibitions
- 2009 ArtSway’s New Forest Pavilion, 53rd Venice BiennaleVenice BiennaleThe Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
- 2009 Distance Decay, Diorama, Arles, France
- 2009 The Map: Navigating the Present, Konsthall C, Farsta, Sweden
- 2008 The Map: Navigating the Present, BildMuseet, Umeå, Sweden
- 2008 Secret Shadows, Pingyao International photography Festival, China
- 2008 Visions in the Nunnery, Nunnery Gallery, London
- 2008 Being Here. Mapping the Contemporary, The 3rd Bucharest BiennaleBucharest BiennaleThe Bucharest Biennale is a contemporary art festival held every two years in Bucharest, Romania. The first Biennale was held in 2005, with the following one held in May-June 2006. From 2006 onwards, the festival will be held every two years...
- 2007 Central Asian Project, Tashkent Biennale, Uzbekistan; Underground Hall, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Tengri-Umay Gallery, Almaty, Kazakhstan; SPACE, London; Cornerhouse, Manchester
- 2007 London Is The Place For Me, Rivington Place, London
- 2006 3 UK Artists in Central Asia, Exhibition Hall, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 2006 In Exposed Areas, Kulturbunker, Cologne
- 2006 Liminal Britain, University of Texas at San Antonio Art Gallery; University of North Texas Art Gallery
- 2005 The Mother of All Journeys, Victoria and Albert Museum
- 2005 Escaping: Fugitive Geography, Contact Foto Fest 05 Toronto
- 2005 Open ev+a 2005, St. Mary's Chapel, Limerick
- 2004 Assembly, Liverpool Biennale
- 2004 Home, Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery; Artsdepot, London; Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery; Derby Museum and Art Gallery; Chinese Arts Centre, Manchester
- 2004 Family Stories, White Space 798, Beijing
- 2004 Trace, Hirschl Gallery, London
- 2004 River Journeys, The Lowry, Salford
- 2002 Ten Thousand Li, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool; Photofusion, London; Impressions, York ; Folly Gallery, Lancaster ; Collins Gallery, Glasgow;
Curatorial projects
- 2006 - 2007 Make it a Better Place – Holden Gallery, MMU, Manchester
- 2006 - 2007 Look 07, Artistic Programmer
- 2002 - 2004 Home – Chinese Arts CentreChinese Arts CentreThe Chinese Arts Centre is the UK agency for Chinese Arts, Culture and Creativity based in Manchester, England.Chinese Arts Centre is the international development agency for contemporary Chinese artists. Based in Manchester in the northwest of England, Chinese Arts Centre works to support and...
, Manchester
Publications
- ArtSway’s New Forest Pavilion: a collateral event of the 53rd international art exhibition- la Biennale di Venezia, ArtSway and text +work (the Arts Institute at Bournemouth), 2009, illustrated catalogue featuring an essay on Dinu Li by Dr. Jean Wainwright. ISBN 978-0-9558406-5-4 (ArtSway) / ISBN 978-0-901196-38-5 (text+work, the Arts Institute at Bournemouth)
- Family Village, with texts by Theresa Gleadowe, Peter Bonnell, Stephanie James, Steve Pharaoh, text+work, AUCB, and ArtSway, ISBN 978-0-901196-34-7
- Making Worlds- Participating Countries Collateral Events, Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia, 2009. Official Catalogue for 53rd International Art Exhibition- La Biennale di Venezia, ISBN 978-88-317-9696
- The Mother of All Journeys, Dewi Lewis, 2007, ISBN 978-1-904587-41-5
- Necessary Journeys, Arts Council England in association with bfi, 2005, ISBN 0-7287-1112-5
- The Photograph as Contemporary Art, Thames & Hudson, 2004, ISBN 978-0-500-20380-4
- As If I Were A River, exhibition catalogue, CITE, 2003
- Ten Thousand Li, exhibition catalogue, Open Eye Gallery, 2002
Further reading
- Mark Sinclair, 'The Mother of All Journeys' Creative Review, Issue: June 2007
- Zoe Gray, 'Father Land, Mother Tongue', Wasafiri, Issue: 48, 2007
- Robert Clark, 'Age of Transition', Guardian Guide, Issue: Nov 2005
- Edgar Allen Beem, 'The Long Road Home', PDN Magazine, Issue: Aug 2005
- P. Elaine Sharpe, 'Geography', Dislocation Ezine, Issue: 15, 2005
- Mariko Takeuchi, 'Pick Up Photo', Ryuko Tsushin Magazine, Issue: Jan 2004
- Jane Griffths, 'As If I Were A River', Flux Magazine, Issue: Aug 03 2003
- Rebecca Geldard, 'Ten Thousand Li', Time Out, Issue: May 2003
- Greg Leach, 'The Mother Of All Journeys', Next Level, 2002
- Sajid Rizvi, 'Chinese Infusions', Eastern Art Report, Issue: 47, 2002
- Mike Dawson, 'Dinu Li', Flux Magazine, Issue: Feb 2002
- Robert Clark, 'Ten Thousand Li', Guardian Guide, Issue: Feb 2002
- Wing Fai Leung, 'Ten Thousand Li', Point (Art & Design Research Journal), Issue: 12, 2001
External links
- http://www.dinuli.com/ Artist website