Li Di - born 1968

Mr. Li Di grew up in the countryside in Northern China. He creates woodblock prints in black and white with titles like "City Space" or "Village". The contrast of city and countryside seems to be one of his issues. The artist sees himself as someone who describes the modern world in China with modern art language without giving up traditional Chinese cultural values. Works by Mr. Li Di are in many Chinese museums and in Muban Collection, London.

Education and Careeer

Mr. Li Di was born in 1968 in Qinghuangdao city of China. In 1991, he finished his studies of Fine Art at the Fine Art Department of Hebei Normal University.

Mr. Li DI is a member of China Artists Association, and China Printmakers Association. He is vice-professor of Yanshan University, Fine Art Department and director of the Decoration Design Department.

Technique, Style Editions

Mr. Li Di works with woodblock prints and water-soluble inks. His prints are usually in black and white and rather large. The edition sizes that we encountered were 30. The art works are printed on a thin Chinese rice paper.

Li Di's woodblock prints deal with the urban sprawl in today's China. The images of his series "City Space" show dwellings and among them people. Everything seems to be in a chaotic order. The restriction to black and white spreads a gloomy atmosphere over the pictures.

Exhibitions

Village Series No. 5
copyright Li Di

• 1995 - First solo exhibition in Qianghuangdao Printmaking Studio.
• 1997 - The woodcut "Energy No.2" was published in the newspaper "Qinghuangdao Daily".
• 1998 - The woodcut "Country Home" won the golden prize of Hebei Province's Art Stars of 1998.
• 1998 - The woodcut "Old Kiln" won the golden prize of Hebei province's new prints in 1997-1998.
• 1998 - The woodcut "Old Kiln" was collected by Shenzhou Print Museum of Sichuan province.
• 1999 - The woodcut "Country Home" won the copper prize of the 8th National Art Stars Exhibition.
• 1999 - The woodcut "Village No.5" attended the 9th National Art Exhibition, Huhehaote city of Inner Mogolia.
• 1999 - The woodcut "Country Home" and "City Space" attended the first Chinese and Japanese Print Exhibition "BRIDGE".
• 2000 - The woodcut "Home" attended the 15th National Print Exhibition, and this woodcut was collected by the Art Museum of Guangdong province. This print also won the copper prize of Hebei province's "New Prints" exhibition in 1999-2000.
• 2000 - The woodcut "City Space" attended the New Century Print Exhibition of Hebei province. This print was collected by Art Creation Center of Heibei province and Painting Academy of Hebei province.
• 2001 - The woodcut "Big Chess Movement" was selected for the 5th National Physical Art Exhibition of Hebei province and won the silver prize.
• 2001 - The woodcut "Season" and "Home Town" was selected for the 2nd Chinese and Japanese Print Exhibition "BRIDGE".
• 2002 - The woodcut "Season" was published in the magazine "Art Grand Sight" no.5.
• 2002 - The thesis "Cutting and Thinking" and some woodcuts were published in the magazine "Art Circles" no.8.
• 2002 - Several woodcuts were shown on the first ABC contemporary Chinese Prints Invitation Exhibition, CAFA, Beijing.
• 2003 - The woodcut "Big Chess no.1" was selected for the Chinese Print Invitation Exhibition in Heilongjiang.
• 2003 - The woodcut "Drunk Situation - Moved Eyes" was shown at the 2nd National Golden Prize Art Exhibition in Beijing, and was collected by the committee. The same year this print also won the silver prize of Hebei Province's Art Exhibition.
• 2004 - The woodcut "Village 2004" was selected for the 10th National Art Exhibition, Chengdu. This print also won the silver prize of the Hebei Province Art Exhibition.
• 2005 - The woodcut "Drunk Situation" was shown in the "Hebei Outstanding Artworks Exhibition", Beijing and Shanghai.
• 2006 - The woodcut "Forest Village" attended the Chinese Print Exhibition in Korea.
• 2006 - The woodcut "Fly the Village" was shown at the 17th National Print Exhibition in Guiyang, China.

Collections

City Space No. 2
copyright Li Di

• Art Museum of Jiangsu province.
• Shenzhou Print Museum of Sichuan province.
• Art Creation Center of Heibei province.
• Art Museum of Guangdong province.
• Art Museum of Anhui province.
• Painting Academy of Hebei province.
• Muban Foudation, UK.
• Korea Woodcut Prints Research & Development Institute.

Publications

"Outstanding Artists of the 21st Century, No.6 - Li Di", published by Jiangsu Art Publishing House, ISBN:7-5344-1893-3.

Artist Statement

Mr. Li Di writes about his art philosophy:

"I think that I am an artist who thinks and cuts at the same time. The modern culture affected a lot the artists, the traditional prints cannot express clearly the contemporary artists' emotions. I am thinking about how to express it by modern art language, but without loosing Chinese traditional cultural values."

"I do not care "who the person is" in my artworks. I just want to express my feeling and experience about life and nature. I hope that I can give my artworks a special emotion that can touch my audience."

Comments by Zhang Yongqing

Zhang Yongqing, a well-known printmaker, wrote about Mr. Li Di the following:

"Li Di grew up in the countryside of the north of China. This gives him many creative inspirations in this subject. Then he left his hometown and began his studies in the city. What the busy city brought to him is not only happiness, but also affliction. So he began to think about this problem. We can find it in his artworks - with ideas of expressionist and structural compositions."

"We also can find something in his child dreams. His artworks are a harmonious complementation of abstract and realism, a developed eclogue."

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