Artwork Description

Title: Alien Field
Artist: Na Li
Date: n.d.
Medium: Installation
Dimensions: Unspecified

1. Artwork Identification
This individual component of Alien Field by Na Li presents a suspended, dress-like sculpture composed entirely of tightly tangled, thread-like material—presumably human or synthetic hair. Its silhouette evokes the classical contours of a woman’s gown, yet it remains ghostly and semi-transparent, as if the body it once clothed has vanished. The delicate, wiry medium captures light and shadow in a tactile way, blurring the line between garment and absence.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Rooted in conceptual and feminist art practices, Na Li’s use of hair as a sculptural medium draws on symbolic associations of the body, memory, and identity. Her forms echo the sculptural sensitivity of artists like Chiharu Shiota or Annette Messager, where fragility and emotional intensity are intertwined. The empty dress form is particularly resonant—traditionally a marker of femininity, here it floats like a relic of presence.

3. Historical Context
Hair has long been associated with themes of intimacy, ritual, and mourning in both Eastern and Western art histories. Alien Field, especially this suspended dress structure, taps into those symbolic resonances while also addressing contemporary questions of gender, visibility, and bodily trace. Emerging from China’s evolving contemporary art scene, Na Li’s work inserts itself into a global discourse on material-based storytelling.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The installation is in very good condition. The delicate strands are intact and remain suspended according to the artist’s original specifications. The display should be carried out in a controlled environment with low air turbulence to preserve the integrity and structure of the piece.

6. Artistic Significance
This suspended dress from Alien Field encapsulates Na Li’s ability to render powerful emotional content through minimalist, ephemeral materials. A haunting presence formed from something as intimate and overlooked as hair, it evokes memory, loss, and the boundaries of the visible and invisible self. As a standalone sculptural gesture or as part of a larger installation, the work resonates with profound poetic intensity.