I have vivid memories of traffic in early 90’s Calcutta. What is now a relatively orderly network of roads and traffic lights used to be a noodle plate of vehicles with people spilling out the sides while trucks drove over people’s feet. Lane designations were either nonexistent or entirely ignored. Hailing from Shanghai, Andrew Li depicts the familiar chaos of urban transportation in this charming drawing.
Brick-red and ochre throngs of buses and cars fall over each other while trying to carve out a space for themselves. Faces gaze out of the windows. Splatters of ink punctuate the loose shapes and evoke puffs of exhaust fumes. Li’s restrained palette minimizes visual noise and emphasizes a sense of dynamic movement.
Artist’s statements are rife with intentions of “examining intersections.” In this piece, Li literally examines the confusion of an intersection that lacks apparent guidelines. The vehicles all seem to be floating in white space, yet the uncanny perspective implies an invisible infrastructure. Large cities function through these imperceptible systems that sprout organically within the gaps of codified behavior. Li’s work will appeal to those who find themselves taking mental inventory of daily moments as well as those who love finding patterns in disorder.
Written by Creativity Explored volunteer Jayinee Basu. Check out her style blog Visual Input or her poetry blog Thickness and Touch.
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