R.D. Structure 3 is the first solo project Xindi Li presents in collaboration with Plate Space at its Storefront location. Taking this special opportunity, the artist showcases the latest iteration of his on-going project —R.D. Structures (2020).

 

The title of this project reflects the serial working method the artist employs in his current practice. R.D. Structures, abbreviated from Reception Desk Structures, takes the institutional facility as its subject of study. Through the deconstruction of both the physical being and institutional functions of an imagined museum reception desk, the works attempt to conduct a critical examination on the purpose and functioning of art institutions as public cultural resources while, in most cases, largely being linked to private and corporate interests.

Following the paths of pivotal artists who work in the realm of Institutional Critique, such as Hans Haacke and Andrea Fraser, Li’s practice poses questions and critically comments on the nature of art institutions and their role in producing culture and defining aesthetics in contemporary society with unexpected parody and non-sequitur humor. Aside from his individual art practice, Li has also worked in private and public art museums professionally; these professional experiences have significantly contributed to his understanding of the functioning of art institutions and initiated his constant introspective examining of the norms within the institutional system. In the artist’s words, the inner conflict created by the dual identity (being an employee and a mindful critic of an established system) does not affect his artistic practice very profoundly but it is the homology embedded in the two seemingly opposite roles that intrigues him the most.

 

In R.D. Structure 3, the artist takes advantage of the Storefront space’s unconventional features as a gallery space and builds a deconstructed reception desk with assemblable components, such as aluminum frames, metal mesh, and Plexiglas storage units, in which the reception desk becomes a semi-transparent facility unlike the conventional blocky and stationary design. With its particular placement, the front/outer side of the reception desk faces the back wall of the space while exposing the back/inner environment of the facility to the audience and public. Accompanied by a selection of ready-mades, the installation is partially a collection of altered work supplies that the artist has extracted from his work experience as a former museum receptionist. Ironically paired with erotic objects, the selection of ready-mades, alongside a newly created animation and sound components, offer a series of veiled hints on the disconcerting facts that an art institution confronts on a daily basis.