Artist: Xiaoqi Li
Title: Site
Date: 2008
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 130 x 120 cm
Provenance: Private collection
Signature: Signed and dated lower right
Condition Report: Good condition

Description:
Xiaoqi Li’s Site is a haunting, dreamlike composition that evokes a sense of desolation and quiet unease. Set against a barren landscape, the vertical canvas is divided into distinct yet interconnected elements. On the left, an isolated structure—a fragmented remnant of a place once inhabited—stands abandoned. To the right, a leafless tree rises, its bare branches hosting dark birds, ominously perched like silent witnesses. Below, the silhouettes of two figures linger in an undefined space, their presence ghostly and ambiguous. In the upper and lower right corner, deep rusty red tones bleed into the composition, intensifying the eerie, almost macabre atmosphere. A knife, bound to the tree with twine, dangles with red dripping from its blade, a subtle yet chilling detail that injects tension and narrative depth into the piece. Through rich textures and stark contrasts, Li crafts a scene that is at once poetic and unsettling, inviting viewers to interpret the silent story embedded within.

About the Artist:
Li Xiaoqi, a graduate of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2005, specializes in comprehensive art and currently works as a freelance artist based in Huangjueping, Chongqing. His work often explores surreal and psychological themes, employing expressive textures and symbolic imagery. Li has exhibited extensively, including at the 7th, 8th, and 9th Annual Exhibitions of the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, the Chongqing Watercolor Pastel Painting Exhibition, and contemporary showcases such as "Foreplay" Contemporary Art Exhibition, "Traces" Idealistic Narrative Contemporary Art Exhibition, and "Imaginary World". His works captivate viewers through their evocative atmosphere, blending realism and abstraction to create powerful visual narratives.