Li Ran

Born in Hubei, China, in 1986, Li Ran is a visual artist who currently lives and works in Beijing. He uses a variety of media, including video, performance, painting, installation and writing, to investigate how art has been produced and framed by modern history. Through performative narrative, reproduction, mimicry and satire, he blurs the lines of art historical truth and questions how its dominant narratives have been normalized and uncritically absorbed by art viewers. By introducing a crucial element of doubt, he aims to expose how history itself is constructed.

A graduate of the Oil Painting Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Li is both the founder of the Company project and a participant. He has exhibited at the basis voor actuele kunst (BAK), Utrecht, Netherlands; Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Berlin; Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH), Houston; The Jewish Museum, New York; CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco; OCT Contemporary Art Terminal, Shenzhen and Shanghai (2012); Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing (2013); Cafa Museum, Beijing (2012); and other venues. His works have also been featured in the 2nd CAFAM Biennial, Beijing (2014), 4th Former West Project (2013), 9th Gwangju Biennale (2012) and 7th Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale (2012). Li Ran is represented by Aike-dellarco Gallery, Shanghai.