Li Kong Yue

Li Kong Yue’s use of sand in his practice rebels against the abundant use of toxic chemicals in
modern society. Generally speaking, there’s a comfortability that exists among the use of
harmful chemicals in mostly everything: what we eat, breathe, or put on our bodies. It is easy to
say things will change, but actual lifestyle changes are difficult and can feel inconvenient
especially in a world where nobody has time to stop and smell the roses. Not many people
diligently care about getting altruistic results, but it’s understandable because of how fast paced
and individualistic society has become. With his concoction of sand and acrylic paint, he creates
textured strokes that evoke a sense of calm for the viewer. He does this not only with the soft
graininess of the sand, but with the composition of pastel colors that are gentle and thoughtful
on the canvas. In a way, this painting is connected to the earth and the sea so he aims to bring
a sense of the natural world into the home to relax the mind and free the viewer from the
environmental guilt we all carry