“Transition” is a captivating installation from Li Hui currently on display at the Mannheimer Kunstverein in Germany. The piece is inspiring in its simplicity. Very few elements have been combined to create a commanding visual.
Li Hui, Transition, mixed media installation, 2010.
A Jeep Cherokee that had fallen prey to accident has been carefully bandaged by the artist. The work is illuminated from above by a tight grid of thirteen thousand lasers. Heat from the laser light releases vapor from the cloth into the surrounding space.
Li Hui, Transition, mixed media installation, 2010.
Beyond an unconscious connection to Chinese philosophy, Li Hui has shared little about the installation perhaps preferring that his audience design their own conclusions.
My interpretation is fairly literal and parallels the candor of the essential elements. I see something broken that has been aided into a healing state. The lasers represent an overwhelming threat of termination from a distance. (Similar to most Americans I have been subjected to too much television forcing this singular response to a directed laser.) The “Transition” that occurs as a result of the close scrutiny initiates a symbol of freedom in the escape of vapor. Then again, I might just be cloud watching.
Li Hui, Transition, mixed media installation, 2010.
Li Hui
Transition
7 February – 21 March 2010
Mannheimer Kunstverein
Mannheim, Germany
