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Self-portraits are old hat in the worlds of art and photography, but a photographer in Beijing, China, is taking the act of photographing himself to new heights -- literally.
He's Li Wei and, for the past decade, he's been giving the world an eyeful via a portfolio of pictures that show him doing everything from falling out of a window to doing a handstand on a giant fork to holding a bridal veil while seeming to fly in midair.
In the process, he's won popular acclaim from both the general public -- who are tripped out by the audacious and bizarre photos -- and serious critics, including New York-based arts writer Jeffrey Sussman, who currently is writing a book about Wei.
His work is highly imaginative, containing vivid dream-like images that provoke anxiety or are caused by anxiety, Sussman told AOL News. There is also a humorous, whimsical quality to his work that is reminiscent of paintings by seminal Dadaists and Surrealists such as Man Ray and Salvador Dali.
Wei didn't start out to be a photographer. Initially, he was a performance artist simply wanting to document his performances.
When I started doing this, it was 2000, I only used photography to record the procedure of my performance art, Wei told AOL News via an email interview. Then, after the 'Li Wei falls into ... ' series, I found this way of shooting as my signal.
Since then, Wei has done more than 150 shots, and has risked life and limb in situations that are, shall we say, precarious.
Article with pictures & video: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/19/wild-and-crazy-guy-li-wei-is-the-jackie-chan-of-the-art-world/
He's Li Wei and, for the past decade, he's been giving the world an eyeful via a portfolio of pictures that show him doing everything from falling out of a window to doing a handstand on a giant fork to holding a bridal veil while seeming to fly in midair.
In the process, he's won popular acclaim from both the general public -- who are tripped out by the audacious and bizarre photos -- and serious critics, including New York-based arts writer Jeffrey Sussman, who currently is writing a book about Wei.
His work is highly imaginative, containing vivid dream-like images that provoke anxiety or are caused by anxiety, Sussman told AOL News. There is also a humorous, whimsical quality to his work that is reminiscent of paintings by seminal Dadaists and Surrealists such as Man Ray and Salvador Dali.
Wei didn't start out to be a photographer. Initially, he was a performance artist simply wanting to document his performances.
When I started doing this, it was 2000, I only used photography to record the procedure of my performance art, Wei told AOL News via an email interview. Then, after the 'Li Wei falls into ... ' series, I found this way of shooting as my signal.
Since then, Wei has done more than 150 shots, and has risked life and limb in situations that are, shall we say, precarious.
Article with pictures & video: http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/19/wild-and-crazy-guy-li-wei-is-the-jackie-chan-of-the-art-world/
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