liu wei builds metropolises from new and repurposed materials

‘library no.6’, 2012

books, wood, steel and hardware
450 x 280 x 120 cm
all images by rebecca fanuele © liu wei and courtesy almine eech gallery, paris / brussels

liu wei: foreign
almine rech gallery, paris, france
on now until may 16th, 2012

artist liu wei has developed a body of sculptural and painted pieces on display in his first solo exhibition in paris at almine rech gallery. the beijing-based creative brings together an assemblage of works depicting dually utopian and dystopian metropolises built from new and repurposed materials such as books, doors, scrap metal and hardware. liu wei has created replicas of iconic structures such as st peter’s basilica and the pentagon in addition to cityscapes familiar to the general public.

the painted portion of the exhibition features a collection of abstracted works which bring to the forefront of the viewer’s mind the concept of perspective. his fragmented and horizontally-lined painted pieces display a highly modern interaction between humans and color as seen through a technologically advanced lens. this conception is then made human once again through the gallery goer’s perception of the artist’s apparent wide brushstrokes and painterly approach.

an assemblage of dystopian societies formed from books and a hardware support system

left: ‘library no.4’, 2012, 
books, wood, steel and hardware, 235 x 170 x 115 cm
right: ‘library no.1’, 2012
, books, wood, steel and hardware, 270 x 150 x 120 cm

additional perspective of the gallery space

layers of paper, both as a pulp and stacked upon one another comprise ‘foreign’

‘colors no.1’by liu wei, 2012

oil on canvas
180 x 440 cm

‘colors no.2’, 2012

oil on canvas
180 x 220 cm

‘colors no.4’, 2012

oil on canvas
220 x 180 cm

‘colors no.7’, 2012

oil on canvas
80 x 80 cm

‘exotic lands n°7’, 2011
door, wood, stainless steel
205 x 92,5 x 5 cm

‘exotic lands n°6’, 2011

door, wood, stainless steel
223 x 127 x 5 cm