Li Xubai 李虚白

Born in Fuzhou, Fujian Province in 1940, Li Xubai is well versed in classical-style Chinese poetry and lyrics (ci). In 1979, he moved to Hong Kong, where he has been the editor for art magazines such as The World of Collectors and Dragon Roots Art Magazine before moving to Canada in 1996. During the 1960s, Li had studied Chinese classical literature, poetry and landscape painting from Master Liu Heng, a female artist and poet, but his work has developed to incorporate the dismantling of traditional compositional structure since then. Li often uses "dry brushes" to create different densities of ink and variations of brush-strokes. While reminiscent of classical works, Li maintains his connection with the contemporary world by creating a seemingly flat pictorial space and a pixelated effect reminiscent of digital media. By choosing to paint in a classically-derived style, Li Xubai asserts his cultural identity in a foreign land and questions the conventional pieties as to what is, or is not, modern.