Art Beatus will present a selection of oil paintings works of Li Yibing in its December exhibition named Meditation.Before his chubby buddies captured the attention of the art hunters, Li Yibing was just one of the hundreds of struggling artists in Song Zhuang, the artists’ enclave outside of Beijing. Li is ecstatic that his works are being recognised and that his chubby buddies are keeping viewers on cloud nine. He still works diligently forever sharpening his skills in his small studio at the outskirt of the Chinese capital, which is fast becoming one of the world leading centres for contemporary art. Born in the poorest part of rural Hebei in 1966, Li’s deprived childhood and harsh up-bringing have been urging him to search for peace and to create tranquillity in his works as these two “things” were definitely missing in the early part of his life. The “Meditation” series, which will be shown at Art Beatus Gallery from December 5 to 22, 2007, unveils Li’s persistent efforts in posing his buddies at their happiest moment, eyes closed, contemplating and always desiring for something pleasurable that is forth-coming. Li said that with his works he aimed at providing a soft landing zone for the viewers amidst the chaos and conflicts that clustered our social environments these days. To reinforce the visual elements, Li supplemented his imageries with other symbols such as clouds, balloons, boats and umbrellas to strengthen the effects of bringing forth serenity, happiness and safety, surreal yet soothingly comforting.