Li-lan
dal 1/4/2009 al 22/5/2009
Segnalato da
1/4/2009
Li-lan
Jason McCoy Inc., New York
Reflections of Kaidan. An exhibition featuring new oil paintings and pastels on paper. The works on display are mainly associated with the Japanese folktales of the Edo period.
Curated by Carter Ratcliff
Jason McCoy Gallery is pleased to present
Reflections of Kaidan, featuring new oil
paintings and pastels on paper by New York
based artist Li-lan. Carter Ratcliff, author
of the forthcoming monograph on Li-lan's life
and work, curates the exhibition.
In this body of work, Li-lan shifts her focus
from imagery that relates to written and
cross-cultural correspondence, such as
letters, postcards, and stamps, to a place
even more ethereal: Kaidan. Kaidan is a
Japanese word that consists of two: Kai,
meaning "strange, rare or bewitching
apparition" and Dan, meaning "talk" or
"recited narrative." While in its broadest
sense Kaidan refers to any ghost or horror
story, it is especially associated with the
Japanese folktales of the Edo period.
Though Li-lan takes inspiration from these
tales, their impact on her work is more
visual than bound to particular narratives.
In fact, Li-lan prefers storylines that have
neither a tangible beginning nor end. Here,
otherworldly female ghosts have found their
way into her compositions, floating in and
out of simplified architectural structures
and set against an array of exotic birds and
rainbow-colored toads. Whereas Li-lan is
known for works that manifest as poetic
metaphors, Reflections of Kaidan takes this
sentiment a step further. The world captured
in these new works tells of fairy tales that
open a space for free-flowing fantasies. We
can project ourselves into these silent walls
captured by Li-lan and loose ourselves in her
spacious rooms that always seem to lead into
the mysterious unknown.
Carter Ratcliff writes: "Li-lan's art helps
us imagine harmonies that have not yet been
achieved. A utopian current runs through her
imagery, and an autobiographical impulse, as
well. From her own experience she weaves a
pattern of interconnectedness. Or it might
be better to say that the pattern weaves
itself, as one notices how each of her
paintings hang together, invoking the world
in full, as much with blankness as with images."
Li-lan has exhibited extensively in the USA
and internationally, especially in Taiwan and
Japan. Her work is in major public and
private collections all over the world,
including the Weatherspoon Art Museum in
Greensboro, NC; the Parrish Museum in
Southampton, NY; the William Benton Museum of
Art in Storrs, CT; the Virginia Museum of
Fine Arts, the Ohara Museum of Art in
Kurashiki, Japan; and the Sezon Museum of
Modern Art in Karuizawa, Japan. In 2008, the
University of Washington Press published
"Experiences of Passage: The Paintings of Yun
Gee and Li-lan," a book by the distinguished
author Joyce Brodsky.
Reception for the Artist: Thursday, April 2, 5.30 - 7.30 pm
Jason McCoy Inc.
41 East 57th Street - New York
Hours: Tue-Sat, 10 am - 6 pm
Free admission