Seeking the artistic high ground
Painter's love and admiration evident in his work on the plateau, Lin Qi reports.
She describes his investment in the body of works as "a form of performance art, an exuberance of his feelings for the place".
Traveling to the Tibetan highland dozens of times, Li Xiaoke once said: "I've tried to go closer, and closer. But she is always at a distance. She is ever-changing; she means eternity."
I Try to Go Closer, but She Is Always Far Far Away is the title of an exhibition showing Li Xiaoke's silk screen prints themed on Tibetan areas, running at the art gallery of Li Keran Art Foundation in Beijing until Feb 16.
It is a retrospective of how he built a link of intimacy with the high plateau for more than three decades, not only physically, but also one deeply rooted in his heart and mind.
His first journey took place in August 1988, which led him to the source of the Yellow River, in the hinterland of Qinghai province.
He arrived there a man ambitious, daring and seeking to excel. As he traveled more times, and farther, his desire to celebrate the area's striking beauty, breadth and genuineness intensified.
