Li
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The paintings from the series Li: Dynamic Structures (2018–2020) depict common phenomena in nature that are characterized by a clearly recognizable pattern or structure and a certain degree of chaos. We often pass them by without noticing.
Even when I was studying biology, I perceived under the microscope the connection between order and aesthetics in the organization of cells in tissues, etc. Gradually I realized that the same principles apply in nature regardless of scale. The branching of veins, a meandering river, the texture of ice and frost on a window, waves on water and sand dunes, all follow a certain rhythm and create a unique image at a particular moment.
Only recently I discovered that in Chinese culture there has been a term for this phenomenon for centuries. The word Li, for which neither English nor other European languages have an exact equivalent. Loosely translated, it means a dynamic structure or form. It is a pattern, close to ideal regularity or symmetry, and at the same time always unique due to the influence of specific environmental forces. The same principle applies to man-made materials due to the same physical forces, e.g. a network of cracks in asphalt, cracks in glaze, swelling of rubber, etc.
The Li series focus on common phenomena that, due to their inconspicuousness, ephemerality or small scale, usually escape our attention. The traditional monochromatic technique of cyanotype highlights the regularity of the structure.
