Seeker Li 希科
Embroiderer
Suzhou, China
Painterly embroidery of the abstract
- Seeker translates abstract paintings into embroidered panels
- His making process involves hand painting, calligraphy, printing and embroidery
- He enjoys using high-saturation colours to echo the emotions present in his compositions
For Seeker Li, embroidery is a means of expression and a ground for endless exploration. The silk thread is the tool that serves his study of abstraction, and developing new techniques allows him to continually evolve and embrace diverse artistic sensibilities. As a young man, he studied Chinese calligraphy and developed an interest in hand crafting. He honed his skills across multiple fields, including wood carving and painting, among others. Seeker's involvement in traditional embroidery began in the early 1990s, and he has researched the integration of calligraphy and abstract painting into embroidered works ever since. "To me, these disciplines have a complementary relationship," he shares. "Artistic transformation is an inexorable trend that must be applied to one’s own creative practice.“
Discover his work
INTERVIEW
I first devise an abstract painting based on the chosen theme or requirements and modify it to make it suitable for embroidery by means of hand painting and printing. The focus is on the required needle techniques and colour schemes, as well as considering the effect of temperature changes and the front-to-back layering of lines.
The core task is to translate the fundamental principles, relationships and effects required in painting into embroidery, while fully exploiting the inherent characteristics of embroidery techniques to produce entirely new artistic outcomes.
Cursive-script works are traditionally rendered in monochrome ink, while I incorporate colours in the embroidery to align with emotional shifts and contemporary aesthetic sensibilities. My abstract paintings depict the movement of energy and therefore favour high-saturation colours. The same applies to the embroidery.
I experiment on how I can translate abstract painting into embroidery thanks to the silk thread. I have come to realise that traditional embroidery may suffer from aesthetic fatigue. That is where my need to delve and expand into developing different paths and forms of expression stems from.
Seeker Li 希科
Embroiderer
Suzhou, China
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Suzhou, China
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Chinese
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