The Beijing-born painter's hand-crafted works feature in a Venice exhibition examining creativity, memory and authorship in the age of artificial intelligence.
Chinese artist Li Xiaogang is presenting his work at a major exhibition during the 61st Venice Biennale, where his traditional tempera paintings are being shown alongside a wider exploration of artificial intelligence and human creativity.
The Beijing-born painter, educator and vice-president of the Li Keran Academy of Painting is featured in Metamorphosis: Beyond the Real – Searching for Victoria Lu. When Humans and AI Think Together, the Story Begins, on display at Ca' Foscari Esposizioni in Venice.
The exhibition examines the life and legacy of critic and curator Victoria Lu while exploring questions around authorship, memory and subjectivity in the age of AI.
Li's paintings, created through the painstaking process of layering tempera by hand, offer a striking contrast to the exhibition's technology-focused themes. His portraits, still lifes and rural scenes are known for their sense of stillness, drawing on both Eastern and Western artistic influences.
Reflecting on the role of artificial intelligence in art, Li said the emotional depth and tactile quality of handmade work remain irreplaceable. He believes the slow process of creating tempera paintings highlights the enduring value of craftsmanship in an increasingly digital world.
Li studied tempera under renowned artist Ritsuo Maeda in Japan before travelling to Italy in 1992 to further explore Renaissance tempera and fresco techniques. He has since dedicated much of his career to promoting Chinese tempera painting to international audiences.
He said: "Art ultimately confronts the universal human condition. Beyond regional labels or historical techniques, I hope global audiences experience how tempera can be reimagined through an Eastern lens to express a shared human experience of time, memory and emotion."