News | LI Shan's participation in "Outside the Window" at Nicholas Metivier Gallery

Toronto, Canada

Artist｜LI Shan

Solo Exhibition | Outside the Window

Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto

6 April 2024 – 4 May 2024

Don Gallery is pleased to announce artist LI Shan's first exhibition, Outside the Window, at the Nicholas Metivier Gallery, marking the debut of her work in Canada and North America. The exhibition opens on 6 April and runs until 4 May 2024.

LI Shan drew her first sketch work when she was 14 years old, and met the artists of the No Name Group when she was 15 years old, which is an artist collective which operated in China between the 1950s and early 1980s. The No Name Group believed in the idea of ‘art for art’s sake,’ at a time when art was a tool of ideological propaganda, intertwined with official political discourse. The group defied the conventions of academic painting, and LI Shan preferred to paint spontaneously, depicting scenes and objects en-plein- air. She developed a practice of working on a small scale and often used a travelling painting box. In the late 1970s, when China embraced modernization and reform, members of the No Name Group, including LI Shan, moved into other fields. Then in 2005, at the age of 48, LI Shan rediscovered her love of painting and found that, "the long-forgotten elements of painting had been integrated into [her] body, and formed a new style of painting". Now, as an independent creator, LI Shan feels more at ease and liberated.

Outside of painting, LI Shan is passionate about outdoor activities such as overseas travelling, hiking, and snowboarding, and has travelled to Canada, England, Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Nepal, using her paintings as a journal to record her journeys. In Outside the Window, LI Shan presents a series of landscapes from 2014 to the present, many of which are based on the places she has visited. LI Shan admits that the concentration and serenity she enjoys when creating her artwork directly contrasts the outgoing and adventurous personality she displays in her daily life. LI Shan’s work bears similarity with the work of Milton Avery in its harmonious portrayal of the natural landscape and soft colour palette. Whether it is the wilderness or a beachside road, the charm with which LI Shan depicts her idyllic vistas allow viewers to imagine the artist directly in front of her subjects; we can trace the movements of her hand on paper through her use of oil sticks. LI Shan pours her love for beauty and life onto the canvas, imbuing them with a brightness and warmth.

 

Installation View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Ships (Beidaihe River) 旧船(北戴河), LI Shan 李珊, 2014. Oil on paper 纸上油画, 19.5 × 25 cm

 

 

 

The Whistle (Edinburg) 汽笛(爱丁堡), LI Shan 李珊, 2019. Oil on paper 纸上油画, 29 × 21.7 cm

 

Installation view of “Outside the Window” at Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto, 2024. Image courtesy the artist and Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto

 

 

LI Shan
LI Shan (b. 1957) is a self-taught artist whose diverse practice shaped the early avant-grade movement in China. Without official endorsement, LI practiced art as a member of the Yuyuantan Lake School of painting in the 1970s, and later joined the No Name (Wuming) Art Group. During this period, the artist focused on subject matter that she would revisit throughout her practice: courtyards, pagodas, city streets, country roads, and architecture.
LI Shan currently lives and works in Beijing. Her solo exhibitions include “A Red, Red Blossom” (Don Gallery, Shanghai, 2023), "Drawing and Drawing: Heading Out and Bending Down" (Don Gallery, Shanghai, 2021), "Li Shan's List" (STAR Gallery, Beijing, 2021), "Li Shan" (Art Basel HongKong Don Gallery Stand, Hongkong, 2019), "Fuxing Renaissance" (Don Gallery, Shanghai, 2017), "Li Shan: New and Selected Works" (James Cohan Gallery, Shanghai, 2015), "Works from the 1970s" (James Cohan Gallery, Shanghai, 2014), "Flow" (La Case, Beijing, 2007) and "Li Shan’s Solo Exhibition" (TRA Gallery, Beijing, 2006). Her works are in distinguished museums collections such as the M+ Museum, Hong Kong, Zendai, and Guangdong, and as well as numerous private collections of note in China, Australia, Canada, the United States, and Europe.
About Nicholas Metivier Gallery
 

The Nicholas Metivier Gallery was founded in 2004. Today, it is one of the largest contemporary galleries in Canada. The focus of the Toronto art gallery since its inception has been to represent and promote Canadian and international artists from different generations that demonstrate exceptional quality and originality in all media, with a focus on contemporary painting and photography.

Nicholas Metivier Gallery has a reputation for and is committed to guiding artists and developing their careers. The gallery has placed works in major private collections and museums in both Canada and abroad. The gallery actively participates in an international circuit of fairs including Art Toronto, Expo Chicago, Pulse Miami, Arco Madrid and Paris Photo. Nicholas Metivier Gallery is a member of the Art Dealer's Association of Canada (ADAC).

11 April 2024
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