Li Hongbo
Li Hongbo, born 1974 Siping City Jilin, China, Lives and works in Beijing.Li Hongbo creates artworks as sculptural forms entirely out of paper. Taking his inspiration from the honeycomb forms created through traditional Chinese techniques often used in Chinese festive decorations and children’s toys known as ‘paper gourd’ which create story telling shapes and symbols from a stack of interconnected sheets. Li Hongbo originally started out working in an advertising company before studying at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts within the Experimental Arts Department.
Hongbo’s artworks are created using just paper and glue. Figures, portraits, trees and vases stretch out into concertina forms creating new representations through shape, pattern and texture. One such work is the installation, Ocean of Flowers(2012), the installation contains thousands of brightly coloured honeycomb shapes, set out as a magical landscape for the viewer to explore, however, when the flowers are flattened (flat packed) their shapes resemble guns such as pistols and AK 47s. The artwork is designed so that the viewer is not instantly aware of what the flowers represent, drawing the audience into something beautiful only to find out that the flowers are actually weapons of war. Experimenting with the creation of art through just one simple, everyday material, Hongbo ignites and captivates the viewers own imagination through his abstract, curving forms.
All images © Li Hongbo
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