| As If I were a River |
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| Culture | |
 Dinu
Li's lens-based media exhibition, "As If I were a River", opened on
25 July and coincides with the completion of the Irwell Sculpture Trail. This
is the longest public art trail in the UK and snakes over 30 miles from rural
Lancashire to Salford Quays.As If I were a River will be shown between The Lowry and Bury Art Galley & Museum over the summer and is to be held at the two venues to encourage visitors to walk parts of the trail. A one metre length tank of water plays a vital role in the work and is accompanied by a photographic series. This series follows a male protagonist as he embarks on an unexplained voyage. David Hancock is the face of the exhibition and Dinu has known him for years, following a meeting at the Chinese Arts Centre in Manchester. " I used David's face to reflect the personality of the river," Dinu tells Dimsum. "I've kept the narrative of the exhibition ambiguous deliberately so visitors can ponder what draws the man to the river." " A river is almost a metaphor for life and having studied it for such a long time, it's obvious that when you look at one aspect, the river  completely changes in
the course of different seasons and also at different times."Dinu was commissioned by Commissions in the Environment (CITE) and As If I were a River represents the body's first exhibition. "I specialise in photography and film, and CITE approached me as they were looking for someone with an artistic background," Dinu explains. Journeys and memories are recurrent themes for Dinu, a 38 year old artist who was originally born in Hong Kong and moved to England at the age of seven. Dinu started out in photography 10 years ago and initially worked in advertising and design but knew that he always wanted to enter the art world. He enjoys close ties with the Chinese Arts Centre and one of their earlier collaborations took him to Shanghai. The exhibition entitled Diafport, which translates as the spreading of seeds, examined aspects of Dinu's community and how Chinese people that had migrated to the UK connected with the motherland.  Future works in the pipeline include a project which Dinu is currently planning
with his mother. The theme of the exhibition will be to focus on his mother's
memories. "She's in her seventies so for this show, I'd like to use pictures
taken with a Super 8 camera - older technology that she can identify with," Dinu
says.Dinu will also curate a lens-based media exhibition called "Home" next January. This will involve himself and four other artists of Chinese origin, two of which are living in Australia, one in Canada and one in London. |
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