Zhou Li, Rose of Light is curated by Sun Dongdong and hosted by Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning. It will be displayed in the A3 exhibition hall from January 13 to March 13, 2024.

The theme of the exhibition Rose of Light comes from the French poem of the same name by the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. In this poem, the rose is interpreted by the poet as an image of life that combines life and death. Whether it is the spiral maze-like shape of the rose or its cycle of prosperity and decline in time, the flower symbolises a kind of life, as well as humanity’s spiritual aspirations beyond the physical body. One end is connected with limited life, and the other end is connected with infinite time. As shown in Zhou Li’s artistic practice, through the poetic image of "light" the light of life inherent in the soul extends to all things like ripples, looking for an inner empathy that transcends the outer world.

Just as Rilke condensed his feelings about life and destiny in the image of a rose, this exhibition also attempts to present a "self-portrait" of the artist to the audience through Zhou Li's art. From the artist’s representative works in various creative stages since the “World in the Window” series (2001) and “Transformation” series (2005), to the “Self-Portrait” series (2013) that formed a specific creative image, to the “Peach Blossom Spring” series in recent years (2020) and "Water and Dream" series (2022), as well as the latest "Rose of Light" series created in 2023, the exhibition panoramically displays the overall style of Zhou Li's creation for more than twenty years, and ultimately depicts the artist's self-image in the journey of life.

A new publication in three parts has been published to coincide with this exhibition and will be available soon.