Li Wei Artist
Li Wei’s Photography
Known as the Flying Artist
Li Wei artist: Born in Hubei province in 1970 and currently lives in Beijing, Chinese contemporary artist Li Wei creates photographs based on his performances often depicting him in gravity-defying situations that made him famous as the ‘flying artist’ of China.
His works are not the result of Photoshop or other digital manipulations but are produced with real acrobatics. Each work can take up to several months to set up and involve huge crews organizing props such as smoke, mirrors, scaffoldings and cranes. After the photographs are taken, he removes traces of the wires with a computer.
Falls into series
Being thrown off buildings or smashing into the ground, his earlier work ‘Falls Into..’ describes the sense of helplessness when facing more powerful forces such as politics, economy and social pressure. The series ‘Mirror’ reflects the problems within oneself and constant conflicts in our society. The recent ‘Fly’ series portrays him flying over some most spectacular landmarks in the world.
Impossibility made possible
Li Wei, along with others, would walk freely over water, trees or skyscrapers, as if they have some kind of superpower or a magic carpet as if they are in a dream that we all once had. All the worries on earth seemed so far away and clouds are almost within arm’s reach. Between earth and sky, there are no limits or obstacles that drag us down: it gives us a sense of impossibility-made-possible. (previous article with Li Wei’s artwork @ Paris Photo)
