Past exhibition

Hai Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition Past Present Future, in which celebrates works of the new emerging British- Chinese contemporary artist Li Xiao Bai in a solo series of displays in collaboration with Hai Gallery, London.

Li Xiao Bai (b.1957) immerses himself in communities of both the East and the West, bringing together the diverse cultures that shape peoples’ lives. His project develops into paintings that utilize the collective knowledge and skills within these communities. This exhibition highlights a glimpse of Li Xiao Bai’s inspiration from the breathtaking landscape of Plymouth, which captures the vastness and the wilderness of the nature to his memories of his early years in China.

Li’s work, which attempts to catalyze social and economic change through direct artistic agency, bridges the gap between art and life. Far from depicting people, Li elevates his subjects to an abiding fascination of composition, space and energy. Li divides his works into two series: Bikes in China; and Darmoor. Both series evoke memories recalled in his former and latter years between China and the West.

“My inspiration developed from my previous life in China observing and riding the bicycle. As it was once the only form of transport, hundreds of people would ride their bike each day to journey to and from work, school or even to do their daily chores. Nowadays the bicycle in China has been replaced by car. My paintings are an historical observation to reflect the changes in modern day China. During my painting of these pictures I focused on composition, space and energy” – Li Xiao Bai

“I have been living by the moors here in Plymouth for 18 years. The constant vastness, the wilderness and the immense beauty are captured in my work. Dartmoor is unique in its landscape to anywhere in the world. It has changing colours by the minute. It is barren yet beautiful. Its huge expanse of space gives me such a huge sense of being and I try to capture this in my paintings” – Li Xiao Bai