As part of collaboration with the Global Talent Art Prize, we are pleased to share an interview with Ariel Li, the 1st place winner of the 6th edition. Ariel is a talented artist based in the UK.
You me us: suffering shock, scenography, wood, metal, mirror, 1.2×0.8×2.3m, 2024
1. Can you recall the moment you knew you wanted to be an artist? What made you interested in arts?
About 6 years ago, I started to have a deeper contact with contemporary art, and I felt that art gave me a kind of inexplicable feeling of travelling to the other side of the world. After I moved to the UK, I had deeper knowledge and understanding of contemporary art, and at the same time, when I was completing my Master’s research at Royal College of Art, I also tried a lot of different fields of art practice, and through the gradual exploration of the art world, it allowed me to recognise my way of thinking and potentials in the art, and I believe that becoming an artist through the expression of art is a very important way for me to explore the world.
You me us: suffering shock, scenography, wood, metal, mirror, 1.2×0.8×2.3m, 2024
2. Tell us about your artistic process and the way you brainstorm ideas? What do you usually start with when creating? How do ideas become artworks?
Art creation is usually an accumulation of life experiences and knowledge, and there are many inspirations from observing the world, I usually pay special attention to some interesting phenomena or events in my life, record them by taking photos, and do some artistic thinking and extension of these things in my mind, the starting point of an artwork is often some very small, interesting and strange ideas, first of all I will put this small idea on a larger scale to think about all its possibilities and potentials, all related or associated with it, and then I will find some more interesting ideas from the scene, my main artistic expressions are sculptures, space installations, or an expression way related to space scale, and then I will carry out a process similar to meditating, what forms of creation, materials, textures and objects convey a language that expresses this feeling, then I will go deeper into specific forms and materials to further explore this idea, and through continuous experimentation and reflection, a piece of artwork will slowly be born.
Fusion Objects, Fragement, sculpture, metal, 8x5x0.5cm, 2024
3. Do you have or have had a mentor or another special person to guide you?
Yes, one of my Master tutors, is quite an odd person but in a very nice and interesting way, he has the ability to make ordinary things extraordinary, has a very special understanding and knowledge of many ordinary things or phenomena, and is able to convey a simple but powerful force through his ideas and artistic expression, a power that can make people fully empathise and be infected, I have inspired a lot from him.
Fusion Objects, Crush
4. How has your style changed over the years? If yes, could you explain why?
I think the style of my art creation does not change much, it’s like a process of growing from a seedling to a big tree, and the expression of my style is closely related to the exploration of myself, as I explore myself more deeply, I have a richer understanding, and the artistic expression I create also expresses my self-identity to a greater and greater extent.
5. What kind of message do you wish to convey in your art?
I think that artistic expression is a more subjective thing, the audience can have any understanding of it, they are all valid, and can get a different understanding from the perspective of people with different life experiences, this thing itself can be called an artwork, so I tend to listen to the audience’s own understanding, which greatly enriches the possibilities of my artistic expression.
Fusion Objects, Digital Waste
6. Tell us more about what project you are currently working on?
The project I’m currently working on can be broadly summarised as ‘object identity of a chair’, I’ll be working on a series of artworks that explore the story of some old objects, each object has its background sources, story, emotional connection, also interaction with people, this forms its identity, all those beautiful elementary compose a unique new story, then what’s the relation between the ‘new story’ and its ‘original/primordial being’, what’s the development, the changing, the reflection, during this process, some things behind happening, we can regard it’s as a new-born medium, it’s like sound spread via air vibration, this medium walk between those two-story, the medium give them the portal to communicate, exchange, fusion, and bond, and the medium forms a new identity itself.
Fusion Objects, Handle
7. What will be your next project?
As I said in question 6, will be based on the story of the object chair, its narrative and identity which is deconstructed and reborn.
8. What is your dream project?
To create an artwork that, without any introduction or interpretation, evokes strong feelings of empathy, which can be happy, excited, touched, scared, etc.
9. There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you?
I think it’s the way it is when you are emotionally charged, for example, I think pain is a gift because it’s much rare than pleasure, and the things you can learn from it are more valuable and more special, and when emotions are very complex and enrichment, they can give birth to a lot of ideas that you can’t get to in ordinary moments.
Fusion Objects, Tools
10. What is art for?
The product of reconciliation, expression, exploration of the self, and the integration and binding of the self to the world.
11. Thanks for the opportunity to interview you as the 1st Prize Winner of the Global Talent Art Prize (6th edition). Are there any final thoughts, in particular for the ones who would like to follow your way?
Thanks very much for who’s interest in my artwork also the Global Talent Art Prize for recognising my artwork. I’m very excited about people’s interpretations and opinions of my artwork, which can be the inspiration for my future artwork, I will continually create valuable artwork, and hope it can be helpful to everyone in some way.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ariell.i/
Website: https://www.ariellxr.com/
