K: Are you considered the first artist to sign a contract with Keyi Gallery?
L: Yeah.
K: Keyi Gallery is 6 years old this year. What do you think is the biggest change between you and the gallery during the 6 years we have been running together?
L: I want to talk too much about this topic. A few days ago, I sorted out pictures and found the poster for my first solo exhibition "Always Spring". After reading it for a long time and thinking a lot, it seems that we are still very new today, but we are also surpassing ourselves.
Over the past few years, I believe the biggest change in me is that I have clarified my creative motivation and sorted out my methodology in creation. I remain positive, but I face the situation with a more pessimistic outlook.
I believe the biggest changes in the gallery are its scale, influence, and professionalism. However, this progress has also brought about institutionalization or industrialization issues. In fact, the academic value of the gallery and some artists is present. We need more time and patience to better showcase things that have been obscured. This may be an inevitable bottleneck for young galleries in the process of surviving and making progress. Of course, there are also many external prejudices, such as those who cannot tolerate any commercial behavior, or biases in the choice of art media, as well as various snobbish criticisms. But no matter what, the biggest change for us is that we have visibly progressed, and we will face broader possibilities.
结构的剩余 – 雕像 / Residual Structure – Sculpture
2024布面丙烯、石膏 / Acrylic on canvas,Gypsum
200 ×150 cm
涉险空间 / Risky Space
2018
布面油画 / Oil on canvas
200 x 300 cm
K: Do the environments in London and Shenyang have an impact on your creative work?
L: I think the environment will definitely have a complex impact on creation, but the impact I am talking about does not come from the transfer of location, but from the transfer of living conditions and understanding, because creation and life are closely related.
结构的剩余 – 黑裤子 / Residual Structure – Black trousers
2024
布面丙烯、石膏 / Acrylic on canvas,Gypsum
50 × 40 cm
K: Do you have any thoughts of continuing your studies in school in the UK?
L: I'm increasingly anti-academic. Although I might chat with more lovely people that way, school is ultimately disgusting.
黄油猫 – 空岛 / Buttered cat – Empty island
2024
布面油画 / Oil on canvas
200 × 150 cm
K:Could you share with me how you managed to master English?
L: I haven't mastered English yet. But I will. At least now I can pass the English minor test for the art academy.
K: Are you a nostalgic person?
L: No.
K: Cool and beautiful, which one would you choose?
L: Choose to be pretentious.
结构的剩余 – 红药水 / Residual Structure – Red Solution
2024
布面丙烯、石膏 / Acrylic on canvas,Gypsum
200 × 150 cm
K: Do you have a cat?
L: I don't keep plants or animals because I'm afraid they might die.
黄油猫 – 海洋天 / Buttered cat – Ocean sky
2024
布面油画 / Oil on canvas
200 × 150 cm
K: What are the differences and connections between the new series of works exhibited in this exhibition and the previous works?
L: Actually, everything is going exceptionally well! I have a clear expression motivation, a clear creative thread, a profound dimension of thinking, a complete creative logic, and a healthy mental state! I am getting better and better.
The solo exhibition "what if it all works out?" by Li Zhongshi, originally scheduled to close on April 1st at the Beijing space of KeYi Gallery, will be extended until April 8th. We sincerely welcome you to visit the gallery during this period.
关于艺术家 / About Artist
李仲实,1994 出生于辽宁沈阳,2019 毕业于鲁迅美术学院,现工作生活于沈阳和伦敦。他的作品善于捕捉精神世界中的波动,注重客观世界具象化的消解以及视觉感官的刺激,使确定性坍塌。他在对视觉图像反复破坏、重构的过程中寻找灵感和感性经验,以此进行图像研究和观念实践,试图拓展绘画的观看方式。他将叙述和表意的线性关系重组,构建出游离于感性与理性边缘的、能够被画面痕迹和色彩追溯的精神世界。他的作品曾被 X 美术馆收藏。
他的个展包括:“反光镜”,可以画廊,(合肥,2023);“永远是春天”,可以画廊,(合肥2021);“李仲实 / Li Zhongshi ”,鲁迅美术学院美术馆,(沈阳,2018)。群展包括:“无论盛开还是不盛开,花都是花”,可以画廊,(合肥,2022);“叙事”中国重点美术院校联展,(北京,2018);“悦色青黄——视觉跨界的延伸”,芝加哥浮世画廊,(芝加哥,2017)等。
Li Zhongshi, born in Shenyang, Liaoning in 1994, graduated from Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in 2019, now works and lives in Shenyang and London.His works are good at capturing the fluctuationsin the spiritual world, focuses on the dissolution ofthe materialization in the objective world and thestimulation of the visual senses, making deterministiccollapse. He sought inspiration and perceptualexperience in the process of repeated destruction and reconstruction of visual images". In this way to carry out image research and conceptual practice, trying to expand the way of appreciation of painting. He reorganizes the linear relationship between narration and expression to build a spiritual world that is free from the edge of sensibility and reason and can be traced by the traces and colors of the picture. His works have been collected by X Gallery.
His solo exhibitions include: "Reflector", KeYi Gallery, (Hefei, 2023); "Always spring" , KeYi Gallery, (Hefei, 2021); "Li Zhongshi", Art Museum of Luxun Academyof Fine Arts, (Shenyang, 2018). and group exhibitions include: "Whether in full bloom or not, all flowers are flowers", KeYi Gallery, (Hefei, 2022); "Narrative", Joint Exhibition of China's Key Fine Arts Colleges, (Beijing, 2018); "Blue&Yellow an Extention of visual Crossover", Floating World Gallery,(Chicago, 2017), etc.
KeYi Gallery is a young contemporary art space established in 2019. It aims to create an open and experimental platform for artists and dedicates to promoting diverse unique art programs and works of art, exploring and developing young artists. KeYi Gallery gave priority to private collections previously and has been insisting on collecting contemporary artworks with high academic value while concentrating on art trends in the art world.