Artist seeks 'xianhuo' in his artwork

Foodie, Bronze, 40 x 24 x 28cm, 2014, by Li Jin. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"I seek 'xianhuo', a kind of vivacity and vitality of things. It is the idea that before you begin to create something, you already believe in it as a reality," Chinese artist Lin Jin says.

"When painting a dish of food, if it possesses a fragrance and the smell stirs your appetite, this is 'xianhuo,'" Li says, "To me, I seek a 'xianhuo' attitude towards everything: towards food and drink, towards life, towards friends. It is the vitality of life."

For Li Jin, life and art are one. His paintings are often about the sensual pleasures of daily life. His diaristic revelations of flesh and appetite using a delicate brush and palette embrace the pleasures of food, friends, family and the foibles of our shared humanity.

A series of Li Jin's works centered on the theme, "Roots of Pleasure", will be exhibited at the Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery from Oct 24 to Nov 5.

Featuring 28 of the artist's recent works, the exhibition includes his first sculptures in bronze and fiberglass along with his iconic ink paintings of everyday life, whimsy and revelations.

Li Jin was born in 1958 and trained at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in China. He is currently deputy professor of traditional Chinese painting at the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts.

If you go:

Oct 24 - Nov 5, 2014

Monday - Friday: 10am – 6pm; Saturday: 11am – 5pm; Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays

Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery, 5/F, One Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong

(852) 2822 5566