The Sun in my Dream
Shortly before he left China in 1985 Lei Lei found himself in a time of historic change and upheaval living in fear and at a junction in his life. Stuck mainly at home he turned to his drawing for his own form of freedom and it was at this time that he started his visual diary the source for much of his work on display in the early Stars shows. Providing an escape from the complexities of his environment the diary became pivotal to his thinking and key to his ability to question and develop himself not only as a contemporary artist but also to question his environment. He combined his drawings with poems written by his close friend Jiang He. Then later with himself composing the titles: Between Sky and Earth, Just Wait, Civilisation Creator, Carry the Sun to my Land, etc. It was from these images that he later developed his ‘Sun in my Dream’ series. These much larger more developed collages mix images from his early life and struggles; with calligraphy messages. The characters hold within them poems and messages from both ancient texts as well as his own writings.
The Whole of History Appears in Silence
