Hand & Machine

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Hand & Machine

September 21, 2019 - October 27, 2019

Details

Start:
September 21, 2019-10:00 am
End:
October 27, 2019-6:00 pm

Organizer

ART LABOR Gallery is pleased to present the dual solo exhibition by American artist Marc Leuthold and Chinese artist Li Lihong. The exhibition is from September 21st to October 28th, 2019. The opening reception is from 6 – 9 pm, Saturday, September 21st.

Both artists are renowned in the field of ceramic art, yet distinct with their own unique atheistic. Entitled “Hand and Machine”, the exhibition is a conversation between the handmade and machine creation, as well as a conversation between the two artists exploring Eastern and Western cultural influences.

Marc Leuthold has a long interest in Eastern philosophy, and this eastern aesthetic is embodied throughout his creations. On the contrary, Li Lihong, born into a long family line of porcelain artisans tracing back to the emperor Tong Zhi in the early Qing Dynasty, has been focusing on exploring temporary porcelain under the influence of western pop art and consumer culture. Both artists are grounded within the cultural contexts of their upbringings, while searching for expressions through the other.

Through this medium of clay, Leuthold’s works are a play between the soft and hard, and the fluid and crystalline. An element of surprise occurs in his studio, sometimes yielding unexpected forms, surfaces and colors. This leads to re-invention and experimentation. Even when repeated, forms are inherently unique. His ceramic sculptures, most often, are discrete objects that are exhibited sometimes singularly and sometimes in dialogue with one another in installation environments. In these environments, the artist often incorporates other media such as wood, glass, paper, ink paintings, bronze and literary texts.

After years of hand making all his sculptural works, Li Lihong started experimenting with ceramic 3-D printing last year. Blending the cutting edge technology into his practice, creating artwork that plays with the new possibilities while testing its limitations is what intrigues him the most. Even with the machine, the seemingly unified sculptural form is still hard to find. With 3-D printing, each piece expresses its own uniqueness through inimitable “line prints”, upon close observation, the stereotypical notion of repetitiveness and uniformity dissipates, making us dive deep into and question the concepts of hand verses machine, monotony verses diversity, command verses free will.

8 - China
Li Lihong
Currency War ($ - ¥, white)
Li Lihong
Currency War ($ - ¥, gold color)
Li Lihong
Currency War (€ - $, gold color)
Li Lihong
Currency War (¥ - €, gold color)
Li Lihong
Currency War (vase, gold color)
Li Lihong
Currency War (small)
Li Lihong
Currency War (small & white)
Li Lihong
Heart
Li Lihong
Dream – China (white)
Li Lihong
Dream – China (gold color)
Li Lihong
Olympic – Instant Noodle
Li Lihong
Dream – China
Li Lihong
Red Star-Mao
Li Lihong
Yingge Small Wheel
Marc Leuthold
Pagoda
Marc Leuthold
Yixing Pagoda
Marc Leuthold
Orange Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Ivory Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Iridescent Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Grey Pinch
Marc Leuthold
Red Hand
Marc Leuthold
Small Pinch
Marc Leuthold
Small Ice Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Mitosis
Marc Leuthold
Green Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Ice Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Black & Orange Accretion
Marc Leuthold
Bud
Marc Leuthold
Place Setting Abstraction
Marc Leuthold
Falling Water
Marc Leuthold
Hand No.1 & 2
Marc Leuthold
Kaleidoscope
Marc Leuthold
Red & Purple Shard
Marc Leuthold
Qing
Marc Leuthold
The Wind
Marc Leuthold
Lotus Bowl No.1
Marc Leuthold
Lotus Bowl No.2
Marc Leuthold
Lotus Bowl No.3
Marc Leuthold
Spool
Marc Leuthold
Moon
Marc Leuthold
Silhouette Wheel
Marc Leuthold
Typhoon
Marc Leuthold
Landscape Wheel
Marc Leuthold
Dragon / Icon Wheel
Marc Leuthold
Dragon Wheel
Marc Leuthold
Lotus Altar
Marc Leuthold
Icon / Muse No.2
Marc Leuthold
Icon / Muse No.1
Marc Leuthold
Babe Paley
Marc Leuthold
Icon / Muse No.3
Marc Leuthold
Audrey
Marc Leuthold