Mingshu Li
Photo: Pernille Sandberg
Mingshu Li is a ceramic artist from China, currently living and working in Oslo, Norway, and has joined Novooi as a featured artist for our exhibition Above and Below, a part of Oslo Open. Mingshu is exploring non-traditional ways of using clay for making sculptures. She has participated in exhibitions for the past three years both nationally and internationally.
Mingshu is highly inspired by the environment around her and represents this in her work. She is been exploring non-traditional ways of using clay for making sculptures, understanding how clay can be utilized as a medium to make sense of who she is and where she lives.
Mingshu holds a Master of Art in Medium and Material Based from Oslo National Academy of the Arts (Norway) and a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramic Art and Design from ArtGuangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (China).
Listen to the sound portrait with Mingshu as part of the exhibition “Above and Below”:
Shop objects by Mingshu Li
“I have tried to learn and practice “shape simply as shape” for many years — when I observe objects such as an apple or a piece of clothing, I touch them with eyes, track the textures and rhythm, play with light and shadow.” - Mingshu Li
EXTRUDER AND TUBES
“I was inspired by some viewers’ feedback that my works look like they come from 3D printers, which stimulates me to think about the relationship between handmade pieces and machine-made pieces. What’s going to happen if I utilize the extruder machine to produce clay tubes; what if handmade pieces look perfect and precise, but machine-made pieces look like rough and inexact? I embrace the idea of sculpture in its broadest sense and explore both the formal and performative aspects of engaging with the material. I explore different ways of shaping clay—not only by my hands but also by equipment — clay extruder.”
HOLES
“The first hole made through my work was hidden. Due to a simple technical reason, holes ensure that internal air is let out during the firing process. The air convection in a kiln, involving extraordinarily high temperature and material shrinkage, guaranteeing sculptures that wouldn’t be destroyed with the pressure difference. A hole is a passage that enables air convection in kilns. These holes are often placed in an invisible corner or at the bottom of the sculpture, hidden from plain sight.
However, a hole itself has as much shape-meaning as a solid mass; it bends and stretches to expand the surface area of a sculpture within a limited space. In my work, holes play a similar significance as the blank space in painting or the pauses in piano music. I use holes as the extension of the surface and enter into a dialogue with the material to discover and create something new: space. The wall is broken, holes as connectors create dialogues between the inside and outside. They attract viewers’ eyes, leading their gaze into the empty space inside, otherwise ignored. Holes expand the range of sculptures without using solid mass — they act as transformers — turning the air around the sculpture into a part of my work.”
