Artwork Description

Title: Alien Field
Artist: Na Li
Date: n.d.
Medium: Installation
Dimensions: 45.3 x 70.9 in (115 x 180 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Alien Field is a conceptual installation by Na Li, composed of delicate sculptural forms crafted from finely textured organic material—likely human or synthetic hair—shaped into garments and domestic objects. Central to the installation is a suspended gown that cascades to the ground in an expansive, nest-like mound. The surrounding objects—a pair of shoes, an umbrella, skeletal undergarments—hang or rest quietly in the space, suggesting traces of presence without body.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Na Li’s practice engages with themes of femininity, memory, and transformation, utilizing ephemeral, corporeal materials in the tradition of artists such as Mona Hatoum, Annette Messager, or Chiharu Shiota. The use of hair—a symbol of both intimacy and abjection—underscores the psychological and physical associations of the work. The installation blurs the line between the uncanny and the domestic, crafting an environment that is simultaneously tactile, ghostly, and contemplative.

3. Historical Context
Alien Field reflects a growing trend in contemporary Chinese installation art that investigates identity, gender, and material culture through immersive environments. In a world marked by globalization and alienation, Na Li’s work transforms bodily residue into vessels of memory and loss. The Title: hints at both estrangement and cultivation—fields of growth, but also fields of otherness.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The installation is in very good condition. All components are structurally stable and have been maintained with care. The delicate fibers remain intact, and the work has been preserved in climate-controlled storage to ensure its longevity. Any installation of the piece should be carried out according to the artist’s display specifications for optimal visual and conceptual integrity.

6. Artistic Significance
Alien Field is a poignant and materially rich example of Na Li’s conceptual engagement with the body, memory, and cultural identity. It invites viewers into an intimate yet estranged space—one where absence speaks louder than presence. Through the transformation of a fragile medium into a powerful sculptural narrative, the work offers a striking meditation on femininity, erosion, and the spectral nature of belonging. A significant and compelling addition to any collection of contemporary conceptual or feminist installation art.