THE MOTHER OF ALL JOURNEYS

DINU LI

Curator: Davina Lee

Amelia Johnson Contemporary, G/F 6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong, China

18 September - 31 October 2009

© Dinu Li, 2007

Presented as a slideshow and large format photographs, The Mother of All Journeys was curated by Davina Lee and exhibited at Amelia Johnson Contemporary, Hong Kong in September 2009.  Li’s work is the result of a collaboration with his mother Yeuk Ling Li.  Beginning in 2001, they undertook a series of journeys in an attempt to identify the exact sites of her memories. From the family’s ancestral home in Guangdong, China, to their abandoned rooftop home in Hong Kong, and finally to the industrial North of England where they spent their early days as emigrants to the west, Li’s work juxtaposes a collection of old family snapshots, his mother’s oral histories and the artists’ own intense gaze as revealed in his photographs.

Originally commissioned by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, The Mother of All Journeys has been exhibited extensively including the 3^rd Bucharest Biennale; Bildmuseet, Umea, Sweden; Museumsnacht, St Gallen, Switzerland and most recently, at Diorama 26 Rue Raspail, Arles.  A major monograph of The Mother of All Journeys was published in 2007 by Dewi Lewis Publishing and was short-listed in the same year for the Contemporary Book Award at the Rencontres d’Arles Awards.

Li was born in Hong Kong and currently lives in Manchester.  Graduating with a BA Photography from Liverpool John Moores University in 2001, Li’s practice encompasses the moving and still image. Drawing inspiration from archives, world histories, anecdotes, chance encounters and the figments of imagination, Li’s work is characterised by his interest in our perceptions of authenticity and the evolution of cultures. Li is a visiting lecturer at universities across the UK, and has participated in numerous symposiums.  His work has been exhibited internationally including the current 53^rd Venice Biennale; the Petra Reitz Salon, Berlin; Space, London; Cornerhouse, Manchester and San Antonio Art Gallery, Texas.  He is the recipient of many national awards and recently undertook a residency at OCT Contemporary Art Terminal in Shenzhen, China.