Li Ran 李然

Li Ran is known for his performances and pseudo-documentaries that investigate the institutions of art history and contemporary art. Employing mimicry, repetition, and satire to blur the boundaries between reality and fiction, Li draws attention to dominant narratives that have been accepted as truth. For Li, the processes of doubt and skepticism are a necessary part of the pursuit of transcendent truth.

Li Ran was born in Shiyan, Hubei in 1986; he currently lives and works in Shanghai. Li received a BFA in Oil Painting Department from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing, in 2009. His recent solo exhibitions include Li Ran: Who Are You, Aike Dellarco, Shanghai (2019); Li Ran: Life of the Pilgrim, ShanghART Beijing, Beijing (2017); and Same Old Crowd, Aike Dellarco, Shanghai (2016). Li Ran’s single-channel video works have been screened in Centre Pompidou, Paris (2016, 2017), the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2015), the Jewish Museum, New York (2014), and Video Bureau, Beijing (2014). He has also participated in Montreal Biennale (2014), Geneva Biennale de I’Image en Mouvement (2014), 4th Moscow International Biennale for Young Art (2014), 2nd CAFAM Biennial (2014), 9th Gwangju Biennial (2012), and 7th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale (2012). He was also awarded with the “Best Artist” prize in the 4th Moscow International Biennale for Young Art in 2014, and nominated for the Future Generation Art Prize by Pinchuk Art Center in 2017.