A Perfect Sense of Balance
Chinese artist Li Wei, his art and the art market.
Hong Kong, one of the world’s most important financial centres, now ranks just after New York and London as the third largest art market in terms of auction turnover. And that bit of news comes as no surprise. As the ‘shop window’ for China’s most desired contemporary art pieces, Hong Kong attracts buyers with an offer they can’t refuse: the tax-free import and export of art. Now that China is imposing a punitive tax rate of up to 34% on any art purchase, it’s obvious to many why Hong Kong should have its own Art Fair.
Organised by Asian Art Fair Ltd, the first Hong Kong International Art Fair (ArtHK08) took place from the 14th to the 18th of May this year at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Some one hundred galleries from North America, Europe, Australia and Asia came and showcased over US$ 65 million worth of art for the event. Hundreds of art dealers and collectors arrived with no other intention but to shop. As if inside a gigantic supermarket, art objects were put on stands and listed in thousands of catalogues. Focus was centred, and emphasis placed, on how prosperous the art market can be with the presence of such an art fair, while artists themselves and their works were reduced to the level of products. But even before investigating whether the impact of the capitalisation of art is truly beneficial to the artists and their works, an observable disequilibrium could be detected at the fair. While art managers and dealers were omnipresent at the event, proud to present their latest endeavour as a great support to the art scene, the real actors – artists – were nowhere to be found.
Li Wei, however, was an exception. On the promotional poster for ArtHK 08 Li Wei was depicted wearing a mirror around his neck and was walking on the Hong Kong waters. Born in 1970 in Hubei and a resident of Beijing since 1993, Li Wei is considered one of the most promising Chinese performance artists on the contemporary art scene. At the opening of the Hong Kong International Art Fair, he was the only artist invited to inaugurate the event with a live performance. Traditionally, performance artists are not particularly popular in the art market due to the intangible nature of their work. Yet Li Wei has found a tangible way to sell his art.
In an interview with CLOSER the artist explained that his love for performance art started soon after his arrival in Beijing. “I started studying painting in a Beijing art school, but soon afterward I knew I would stop. The way painting was being taught was very traditional and was meaningless for me. I quit school and gave my first performance in 1993.” Li Wei continued to explain that at that time, performance art was not yet very developed in China, and he was to go
through a long period of hardship with respect to his livelihood. “For seven years I was living in poverty. Everybody was telling me I was crazy and too stubborn, questioning why I should persist in performance when the market is oriented towards paintings. But I did not care.” For Li Wei, performance art provided a way to include his whole being as a part of the art work, and it was fascinating. “When the audience is in front of the performing artist, they are not seeing mere visual images, but a real experience.”
As Li Wei further pursued performance art, he realised there were certain dilemmas he would have to deal with. “A good artist is one who is responsible to his own art form,” he said. Li Wei found himself in a situation in which he had to find a way to transform the intangible nature of performance art into something that could be experienced on a larger scale. As a result he started taking photographs. One thing led to another, and Li Wei decided to invest in a high-quality medium-format camera. He started staging his performances using sophisticated stunt techniques for photographic sessions. “I realised that if I handle it well, the visual experience from the photograph can surpass the performance itself. And now, the two have become one.”
In 2002 Li Wei sold his first photo-performance work. An Italian gallery was looking for young Chinese artists to present in Europe, and a friend of Li Wei recommended him as a candidate. “The gallery liked my works and asked me to sign a three-year contract with them. I guess they wanted to ensure exclusivity. I did not expect much, but thinking it would be great if my work could be seen by more people in Europe, I signed.” Li Wei recalls that the first sale of his work by the gallery was carried out under “compulsory” circumstances. “They wanted me to print one of the photographs and put it in an exhibition, but the problem was I didn’t even have the money to develop the film! They therefore agreed to buy the work with a pre-payment of US$ 500.”
Sometimes life needs just this sort of small breakthrough, a “500-dollar chance”, to turn everything around. Li Wei’s work was shown in Italy and made the cover of the art magazine Flash Art, which is distributed all over Europe. Six years after this turning point, the general pricing of Li Wei’s work has increased tenfold, with the value of certain pieces soaring to 300 times that amount. When asked about the nature of the gallery’s role for the artist, Li Wei first called it important, then paused and said, “actually, not so much.” He explained, “Galleries can help the artist solve many problems, such as questions of livelihood. But then, they can also create other problems. A good gallery can have a positive impact on the artist and push him to go further with his creativity. Galleries help increase an artist’s exposure on an international level by organising exhibitions and participating in art fairs. But the artist should not take the sale of his work too seriously. In my case, many of my works are not sold at all, but that doesn’t mean they are bad. The only thing I care about is how to break through, to have new inspirations instead of repeating myself. I simply do not view the market as a measurement standard.”
Nevertheless, the successful example of Li Wei’s work, both on the art market and on an artistic level, is worth our consideration. Always faithful to his inspiration, and therefore applying himself to it entirely, Li Wei has found a way to stand on his own – literally, on his head. A perfect balance is struck between the spectacular effect and the meticulous arrangement of his stunt actions. The combination of the absurdity of his imagery and the realistic approach of his photoperformance work has an irresistible effect on viewers, regardless of whether they are potential buyers or simply people, who would dream the impossible.
