A Lesson in History

Li Shi Guang's Imaginary Museum comes across as some type of art history quiz. Familiar works of art are wittily incorporated in a blend of Chinese and Western, modernity and antique art.

Influenced by the great masters of Western art, such as Manet and Rembrandt, Li has created clever, if slightly kitsch paintings. He takes elements from well-known paintings, yet reworked in a surprising and new way. Taken out of context, male and female figures from The Rape of the Sabine by Poussin become more like a couple in a joyous embrace. In another, two grinning Chinese pose in front of a landscape that we have seen a thousand times in the background of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, but may have never paid attention to before because of the famous face and smile in the foreground.

Those familiar with China can see elements of art and architecture in a half destroyed gray and white wall, the intense red and familiar round tiling of an imperial building or the swirls of mountains and clouds. Modern Chinese women are featured beside sensual Western nudes, some highly representative of the much-debated and maligned 19th century Western school of Orientalism. Beyond the pop-art-like surface lies a deeper meaning. There is also a sense of division as Li uses images of walls extensively. Further separation can be seen in the Chinese subjects, particularly the peasants, who are often marginalized and their modern, cosmopolitan counterparts, indistinct.

This show by a young artist with a fresh approach to the East meets West conundrum is ideal for those who want to show off their art knowledge. For those who aren't so au fait with their art history, there's a cheat sheet available to guide you through.

Elyse Singleton