Solo Exhibition ShanghART WB Central, Shanghai
Mar. 7, 2025 – Apr. 23, 2025 (Tue. to Sun., 11 am - 7 pm)
Opening: Mar. 7, 2025 , 4pm
aShanghART WB Central, Building 4, No. 288 Ruining Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
ShanghART WB Central is pleased to present "Diffusion Layer", a solo exhibition by Liu Yi, opening on March 7 and will run through April 23. The exhibition marks Liu Yi's fourth solo exhibition at ShanghART Gallery, also the first solo exhibition at ShanghART WB Central space. Curated by Roger M. Buergel, the exhibition first time features the artist’s six significant ink animation series created over the past decade, including "Nice to Meet You", the short animation commissioned by the Ichihara Lakeside Museum in Japan in 2024, and "Morning and Dusk, and No More", the long animation Liu Yi has been dedicated in creation since 2019. Together, they present a multi-dimensional fusion created by ink, offering a realm where various dimensions intersect and blend.
The term "Diffusion Layer" draws inspiration from the diffusion phenomenon in physical chemistry, referring to the gradual expansion, integration, and blurring of substances within a space, or the layer formed by the diffusion of material. In this exhibition's context, it not only symbolizes the diffusion of matter but also represents the gradual transformation and merging of time, memory, and emotion as they continuously flow.
"Diffusion Layer" serves as a multidimensional metaphor, creating an uncertain state of existence. The exhibited works present this phenomenon through dynamic images, flowing ink, and gradient visual effects. Memory gradually diffuses through the flow of time, while the fusion of traditional ink painting and AI technology also disperses across this layer. Additionally, it reflects the state of existence of marginalized groups, with identities and emotions drifting and fragmenting, while time, technology, and identity all undergo diffusion. At the intersection of these elements, continuous interweaving and transformation occur, with identities and experiences constantly being redefined and reshaped throughout the process.
“(In Liu Yi’s work) While the machine thus interprets the world differently, the graphic stroke, which we associate with the eye, soul and artistic intelligence, becomes a third element that is neither human nor machine. As if art were the trail of something future. ”
- Roger M. Buergel
*Special thanks to United Overseas Bank (UOB), Nanjing Art Fair International (NAFI), and Opple Lighting for their sponsorship and support.
About the artist
Liu Yi was born in 1990 in Ningbo, China. She obtained her Master's degree from the China Academy of Fine Arts in 2016. Currently, she resides in Hangzhou. She utilizes various mediums such as animation, multimedia, and space installation to reflect her daily experiences and explore the potential of her works. Through her eclectic creations, audiences are able to delve into a distinct parallel world.
Liu Yi's video works and installations have been exhibited in renowned museums and institutions worldwide, including the Animist Tallinn Festival Exhibition, Cyprus Museum, Seoul Museum of Art, Power Station of Art, Ichihara Lakeside Museum Japan, Courtesy of Messe Basel, Tai Kwun HK, Guan Shanyue Art Museum Shenzhen, Tallinn Republic of Estonia, Cyprus Museum Nicosia, New Chitose Airport Japan, Centre for Heritage Arts & Textile HK，Zhejiang Art Museum and Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute Art Museum etc.
In 2024, Liu Yi's work "When I Fall Asleep, the Dream Comes" won the Best Animation Work Award at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival Explore Section. In 2017, her work "A Crow Has Been Calling for a Whole Day" was selected for the Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) and later received the "Special Recommendation" award at the Hua International Short Film Festival. In 2018, Liu Yi was invited to participate in the SeMa Nanji Residency Project at the Seoul Museum of Art. The following year, she was invited to The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud in Anjou as an artist in residence and served as a jury member for the Cyprus Animation Film Festival. She also completed an exhibition during her residency program in Cyprus. Her works have been collected by esteemed institutions such as the White Rabbit Contemporary Chinese Art Collection, the East Asia Library of Stanford University, and the M+ Collection.
About the curator
Roger M. Buergel is an exhibition curator and writer. He was artistic director of documenta 12 (2007) and headed the Johann Jacobs Museum in Zurich for many years. Other exhibitions include Garden of Learning (Busan Biennale 2012), Suzhou Documents (2016), which he co-curated with Zhang Qing, and Mobile Worlds (Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, Germany, 2018). Buergel is Professor of Aesthetics at the European Graduate School.
More Pictures:
Facebook
Instagram
WeChat 微信