Liu LiJie - Another Episode

Contemporary Chinese art deals with its heritage through critique, praise, over-glorification, and self-confusion all at the same time. Liu LiJie's "Another Episode II" work addresses the space that he inhabits and how through examination and time, he has come to expound upon the idea that regardless of human interaction, each man truly is an island unto himself. It is this constant tug of war that leaves man in a state of limbo, this liminal space, that LiJie attempts to put into a visual context through barren and eerie images. He states:

" I take a gloomy view, and there exist a lot that I can’t control. I’m inclined to managing the years both I lived and am living into a scene compose by a computer. There I could pursue extreme simplism. It’s clear, unascertainable, and imperceptible. It is the years spoken out by my language, and there’s ultimate mysterious relationship about individual foreordination — it is a mere pint-sized world surmised by one person, and totally untrue to the original works. "

http://www.parisbeijingphotogallery.com/main/liulijieworks.asp













However for me, her other work under the similar title of "Another Episode" that was exhibited at the 2006 Fotofest in Beijing was much more mature and serious. In this series, Lijie captures scenes from her own private memories as a young girl. According to Holly Kyte, "Unlike most diaries, though, it's meant for public view and tells an 'Everygirl' tale of growing up. To achieve this, Lijie uses the universal language of fairytales. Her alter ego - a lone child-adult who is always wearing the same red dress - wanders through the frames like some kind of Little Red Riding Hood. And her journey, as in all good fairy tales, is one of innocent pleasures, flights of fancy and unexpected perils."

This work reminds me vaguely of Pierre et Gilles along with Julia Fullerton-Batten.

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/48061,in-pictures,arts-fashion,the-big-picture-liu-lijie-photographic-memoirs