Autumn in Full Bloom

ART LABOR Gallery is pleased to present Li Tao’s second solo exhibition titled “Autumn in Full Bloom.” Following his first solo exhibition at the gallery, “Floating Game,” this exhibition will feature a selection of Li Tao’s new works from 2024, offering a glimpse into the artist’s recent creative endeavors. The exhibition runs from September 28 to October 28, 2024.

Li Tao, a graduate from the Chinese Painting Department of Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, has dedicated his entire adult life to ink painting. His contemporary ink works exhibit a highly personal visual language, absorbing the essence of traditional Chinese ink while boldly breaking traditional boundaries, pouring his unique self-expression and technical breakthroughs into this traditional Chinese medium.

The majority of Li Tao’s works are created using handmade mulberry paper from Yunnan. The paper’s strong absorbency provides him with significant creative flexibility. His bold and vivid use of color, along with unique painting techniques, seamlessly integrates acrylic paints and color combinations rarely seen in traditional ink works, resulting in pieces with a striking visual impact.

In his recent work, Li Tao has turned his attention to still life, portraying everything from beloved fruits to flowers. His work often draws inspiration from careful observation and understanding of everyday objects, allowing him to explore the philosophical essence of life and existence through the simplest and most natural forms. This body of work reveals a quiet transformation and a subtle shift in Li Tao’s inner perspective, gradually shifting from dark and heavy themes to vibrant and joyful subjects, offering insight into the artist’s love and appreciation for life and hopeful aspirations. Each piece exudes a sense of richness, joy, and abundance, as if unfolding a grand autumn feast before the audience.

Li Tao was born in Xi’an in 1981. He graduated from the Xi’an Academy of Fine Art in 2003 with a degree in Chinese ink painting. Since 2006, he has been widely exhibited in China. His selected solo exhibitions include Autumn in Full Bloom, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai (2024); The Floating Drama, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai (2023); Rise, Aura Gallery, Beijing (2015); Sapiens, Aura Gallery, Taipei (2015); Space Oddity, Aura Gallery, Taipei (2014); Pilgrimage, Aura Gallery, Beijing (2014. His selected group exhibitions include In The Flow, Mirror Space, Shaoxing (2024); Shanghai Calling, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai (2024); Worlds on Paper II, ART LABOR Gallery, Shanghai (2023); The First Xi’an Youth Painting Exhibition: Voice of Chang’an – Xi’an Youth Ink Painting Exhibition, Xi’an Art Museum, Xi’an (2021); The Seventh Star Project, Tree Art Museum, Beijing (2020); Bicang Art Exhibition, Jia Ping’ao Culture and Art Museum, Xi’an (2020); Refreshing, Lingang Art Museum, Shanghai (2020); Beyond the Plateau, Shaanxi Province Art Museum, Xi’an (2019); Redefining the City with Context, Xi’an Art Museum, Xi’an (2018). His work is in the permanent collection of Shaanxi Province Art Museum in Xi’an.