Chinese artist Li Songsong has unveiled a new body of work that marks a significant departure from his previous practice, moving from archival imagery interpretation to pure abstraction while maintaining his signature impasto technique. The exhibition "History Painting," currently on display at Pace Gallery in New York through December 20, 2025, showcases large-scale oil paintings that explore the artist's relationship with his medium rather than specific visual sources.
Li Songsong has built his artistic reputation around translating archival imagery, transforming newspaper portraits and film stills into painted works that examine how memories evolve over time. The artist has long been fascinated by the way our recollections become hazy when reflecting on distant past events, and how the particulars of remembered moments lose their clarity. His latest series, "History Painting," maintains this conceptual foundation while taking a radically different technical approach.
The new works feature wide, thick layers of oil paint that completely cover large-scale canvases, creating what can be described as a cacophony of color and texture. These impasto applications appear to simultaneously swell upward and pull downward, generating a dynamic tension across the surface. A filmed studio visit reveals Li's methodical process: he works from top to bottom, systematically adding one thick brushstroke on top of another in a grid-like pattern.
Among the featured works is "Boundless Longevity" (2025), an oil on canvas measuring 210 x 270 centimeters, alongside "History VII: Snake Year" (2025), a 120 x 120 centimeter square composition. Other notable pieces include "Revolution" (2025) at 210 x 210 centimeters, "History IX: Mercy" (2025), and "History IV: Sacrifice" (2025), both measuring 120 x 120 centimeters.
According to Pace Gallery, which represents the artist, "History Painting" reflects more on Li's relationship to the medium of painting itself rather than interpreting any specific visual source. However, given his extensive history of working with found imagery, viewers may find themselves searching for recognizable forms within the abstract compositions. The clustered ridges of paint could evoke bodies huddled together in masses, their backs turned to the viewer as they move toward an unknown destination.
For Li Songsong, these brushstrokes retain a sense of action and autonomy despite their abstract nature. He describes each mark as "agentive and idiosyncratic" even as they become covered again and again by subsequent layers. This approach suggests that each individual brushstroke maintains its own character and purpose within the larger composition, contributing to a complex dialogue between visible and hidden elements.
The exhibition represents a bold evolution in Li Songsong's artistic practice, demonstrating how an artist known for figurative work rooted in historical imagery can successfully transition to pure abstraction while maintaining the conceptual concerns that have defined his career. The show continues through December 20, 2025, offering viewers an opportunity to experience this new chapter in the Chinese artist's ongoing exploration of memory, time, and the nature of visual representation.
