Li Bangyao

LI BANGYAO

The “Indoors” series began in 2009, when I started to analyze domestic objects.

Unlike in my previous artwork, domestic objects no longer exist as social symbol, but are now observed for the role they play as a result of the house owner’s choices and placement.

On the surface, the choices we make in selecting everyday items largely depend on their functionality. Nevertheless, it’s interesting to compare people’s choices for the same type of objects. Why do some people select certain models and colors, while others make drastically different choices?

It seems that an explanation for such choices based on mere functionality is over-simplified. In my view, a home is not only a place of residence, but also a place where people rest their spirit; it’s a temple where the individual finds spiritual relief.

Through the selection, placement and setup, pairing and combining, decoration and brands, positioning and ‘fengshui’ of the domestic objects in his private space, the house owner reveals his identity, taste, interests, values, etc.

Moreover, depending on one’s spiritual pursuit, the objects acquire a certain charm for the soul and a mirror reflecting the individual. As the objects are often constrained by the system of the time period in which they are conceived, they become vehicles that carry the entrustments of different periods.

In other words, people’s choices project the changes between collectivism and individual freedom, the contradiction between materialism and spirituality; thus, domestic objects allow everyday life to reveal information that goes beyond their own existence.