Closing Event: Through a Looking Glass

In our globalised contemporary world, many artists of different nationalities and cultures are exploring the challenges and opportunities of an increasingly interconnected world. More than ever, artists are unrestricted by geographical boundaries and can participate in a wide range of artistic communities.

This exhibition reveals my experience as a Chinese artist working in Australia. I am originally from the Chinese province of Shandong but for several years I have lived and studied in Brisbane. Issues surrounding cross-cultural identity dominate my practice and I use painting and installation to explore the oscillation between a fixity and disruption of identity in a globalised world. While working in the studio, I maintain both a visual memory and double awareness of my hometown in Shandong and my new (if only temporary) home in Brisbane.

My practice is also metaphorically aligned with the fictional experience of Through the Looking Glass, where Lewis Carroll sent Alice through a mirror, leading her to discover a strange and mysterious world. The mirror is a metaphor of this other place, the twilight zone, or a strange parallel world. Mirrors provide us with the opportunity to move into another space where people can be free of reality. The illusion is not purely imaginary; instead, it is only through the illusion that we are able to approach reality.

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Artist: Tingting Li
Exhibition Dates: 25 September – 13 October
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am to 4pm
Where: POP Gallery, 381 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, 4006