Constructing Radiance: Sculpture by Li Hongwei opens Sept. 26 at Alfred Ceramic Art Museum

Li Hongwei, in his studio, Beijing, China, 2022. Photo Li Hongwei studio

The Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University opens its ninth season Thursday, Sept. 26 with the exhibition Constructing Radiance: Sculpture by Li Hongwei. The public is invited to the opening celebration at the Museum from 5-7pm that day. Refreshments will be served.

"Li's often monumental work is as powerful as it is elegant," says Wayne Higby, ACAM Director. "Combining polished stainless steel with fragments of smashed pottery, his unique work is open to many forms of experience and interpretation. Through one lens, it is an attempt at reconciling the ancient and the modern. Through another, one might see a playful experimentation with Eastern and Western creative processes. Through another still, one can see the tensions of hybrid identities working together to create a unified aesthetic experience. However they are viewed, Li's mastery of his materials is unquestionable, as is his dedication to his singular artistic vision.

Originally from Tangshan, China, Li received a formal training in sculpture from the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing before going on to graduate from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2007. This cross-cultural experience established a foundation for his art, fusing classic Chinese cultural history, Western philosophical discourse, the history of Modernism and contemporary art. Li's combination of "Eastern" and "Western" cultural immersion along with a sophisticated investigation into ceramic technique has led to his growing international recognition as an important sculptor of our time.

Li's work has been acquired by several major art museums including The British Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Israel Museum of Art, Harvard Art Museums and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Tao Wang, Curator of Chinese Art at the Chicago Art Institute, acknowledges Li's recent sculpture as a remarkable allegory of balance achieved by creating sculpture of polished steel and ceramic that has never been done before. Tao Wang writes the following about Li's work: "Through the combination of Chinese traditional aesthetic and contemporary art form, Li Hongwei's work revives and empowers porcelain within the cultural context of our age."

Event Programing for Constructing Radiance is as follows:

• Artist Talk by Li Hongwei: Oct. 1, 4:30-5:30pm, Room C, Binns Merrill Hall 106, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
• Exhibition walk through with Li Hongwei: Oct. 2, 4:30-5:30pm, Alfred Ceramic Art Museum at Alfred University
• Presentation about the artist's work by Tao Wang, Pritzker Chair of Arts of Asia, Executive Director of Initiatives in Asia and Curator of Chinese Art at the Art Institute of Chicago: Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 4:30 - 5:30pm, Nevins Theater, Alfred University

The Alfred Museum of Ceramic Art at Alfred University is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5pm. For more information email [email protected]or phone 607-871-2421.