Artist: Li Song

Born in 1982 in Benxi, Liaoning Province.

Studied at the Printmaking Department of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in 2002.

Began working at the High School Attached to Luxun Academy of Fine Arts in 2008.

Currently a member of the Liaoning Artists Association, 理事 (Council Member) of the Shenyang Youth Artists Association, and Director of the Professional Teaching and Research Office at the High School Attached to Luxun Academy of Fine Arts.

Li Song's recent works resemble an extended archaeological record. In this context, calligraphy models, stele inscriptions, antiques, and imagined landscapes or scenes akin to old photographs appear in a more austere form. Here, let us imagine the traces preserved on a stone stele or a photo weathered by time—closely resembling the process of creating a lithograph. Through layers of gray accumulation, time seems to be systematically stacked, and these moments belong to a past intimately connected to our cultural lineage. Li Song is now awakening them with a tender and cherished approach.

After years of "wandering," Li Song's paintings increasingly exhibit a classical temperament blending psychedelia, aestheticism, nostalgia, and delicacy. They are charming and full of intrigue, yet when overly inclined toward stability or control, we should remain vigilant—much like how our so-called contemporary daily life is dominated by technology and sinking into a quagmire. After prolonged entrapment, some choose to abandon struggle or indulge in false comfort, but for Li Song, his task is a form of self-redemption. Thus, every glance backward is a spiritual return to his roots, allowing him to relieve the decaying impurities trapped in his heart. His past 偏执 (obsessions) must be re-examined to extract the wisdom and discernment to perceive external things, enabling him to break through chaos and 重塑 (remold) a new self.

Li Song's paintings do not record superficial phenomena floating on the surface of the world. He begins by retreating to the position of a sober observer, truthfully expressing his inner anxiety and unease through gentle yet persistent strokes. His perspective is both elevated and grounded, his style both turbulent and steady, full of perplexity yet resolute in stride, gradually reaching a temporarily secure highland with smooth precision.

— Gu Hongchao