With the help of wires, scaffolding, and cranes, Beijing-based artist Li Wei flew 100 feet above the Ringling Museum of Art’s Ca’ d’Zan Mansion for an extreme performance-photography hybrid work. Then, he donned a 3-foot-long mirror around his neck near a replica of Michelangelo’s David to create the illusion that his head was floating in space. The two projects, To Fly and Mirror, formed the artist’s debut performance in the US this past November, part of the museum’s ongoing Chinese contemporary photography and video art exhibit, Seeing the Unseen.
“People rarely see this type of photography. That’s why they always think I’m making a movie,” said Wei in a past interview with The Creators Project, elaborating on his interest in creating visual illusions that defy gravity and probe the boundaries between reality and fantasy. In earlier work, he’s turned into a Buddha rocket above Switzerland, leapt out of high buildings, planted his head into an ice lake, and transported a group of children on his back. With the performance at Ringling, he continues to challenge the observer’s perception of truth.
Videos by VICE
The final photographs of the To Fly and Mirror performances are now part of the Ringling Museum of Art’s permanent collection. Click here to watch the making-of video, and below, check out a few of the stunning images that resulted from Wei’s physics-defying stunts.
To Fly, Li Wei.
To Fly, Li Wei
Mirror, Li Wei
Mirror, Li Wei
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No Subjects Were Harmed In The Making Of These Insane Photos
