GAZE OF ABYSS IEVA LI

A continuation of Li’s intrigue in the relationship between art and the human form, Ieva Li’s latest painting series is a great example of the artist’s freedom that comes from painting.

All untitled, the first piece demonstrates differences in opacity and form. Facial planes span across the page to create a sense of dynamism – it is easy to imagine a face and lips being rolled across the canvas in one carefully constructed swoop.  As a result, despite the piece being utterly two-dimensional, it feels three-dimensional in the different angles and facial planes that are present.

This latest piece is an exciting development as far as Ieva Li’s practice is concerned. It shows clear notions of her primary focus: the relationship between art and the body. It is separate from most of Li’s painting portfolio in that the face is both the subject and the tool used to create the piece, whereas prior to this there is an only consistent use of the rest of the body, primarily the torso. This piece overall shows a great step in Li’s painting practice –  the artist feels very comfortable with experimenting, however, maintains control in order to avoid means of borderline cliché expressionism.