Artwork Description

Artist: Li Xiaoqi
Title: Victims
Date: 2009
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 170 x 140 cm
Condition: Good
Provenance: Private collection
Signature: Signed and dated in the lower right corner

Li Xiaoqi’s Victims is a haunting and meditative composition, evoking themes of suffering and transcendence. The upper and left portions of the canvas are framed in deep black, creating a stark contrast against the ethereal wash of green and red that dominates the rest of the background. Within this dreamlike expanse, a solitary male face emerges—his eyes closed, framed by long dark hair, and adorned with a white crown of thorns. Suspended within an undefined, soft-textured space, the figure conveys a sense of weightlessness, as if floating between states of existence. The muted yet expressive palette heightens the emotional depth of the piece, inviting contemplation on themes of martyrdom, isolation, and the fragile boundary between the physical and the spiritual.

About the Artist
Born in Shandong in 1983, Li Xiaoqi graduated from the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts in 2005 and currently lives and works in Chongqing. His works frequently depict indistinct, dreamlike figures, dissolving the lines between presence and absence. With a restrained palette dominated by deep blacks, grays, and occasional blood-like reds, his paintings exude an atmosphere of solitude and existential reflection. Li's expressive visual language employs fragmented forms, distortions, and dynamic compositions, creating an intense rhythm that oscillates between observation and experience. His work transcends traditional representation, offering a deeply personal meditation on human fragility, suffering, and spiritual transcendence.