Liu Wei @ White Cube, Mason’s Yard


Contemporary Chinese art is very fashionable right now. Free of calligraphy and traditional motifs, 21st century Chinese art is political and has something to say. As does the work of Liu Wei, currently on display at White Cube.

The show is made up of large sculptures which appear minimalistic at first. The upper level of the gallery is comprised of iron, rectangular structures. The sculpture seem hard yet shiny, and new, perhaps reflecting some of China’s modern society.

Take a trip downstairs and this shiny metal is contrasted with an installation of pale grey shapes including pyramids, spheres and concave, three dimensional semi-circles. These forms have been made by putting multiple materials including iron, wood and books together, with the layers being visible from the exterior.

To some, this show may appear dull, boring and minimalistic. However I loved it. All I wish is that I was able to touch the pieces!

Liu Wei: Density is on display at White Cube, Mason’s Yard until 15 March

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Lizzy Vartanian Collier aka Gallery Girl is a writer and curator based in London. Her work has been featured in publications including Dazed, Hyperallergic and Vogue Arabia. She was curator of Perpetual Movement during AWAN Festival 2018 and in 2019 had a residency at the Lab at Darat Al Funun in Amman, Jordan. She has also worked with Armenia Art Fair for its inaugural edition and previously worked as an editor at I.B.Tauris Publishers. In 2019 she co-founded Arsheef, Yemen’s first contemporary art gallery. She has given workshops at Manara Culture in Amman, Jordan and Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK. As of 2020 she is currently in law school, with the ambition of greater understanding the intersection between art and the law.

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