LITHIUM is excited to announce its grand opening of the gallery space and present Millennial Millionaires and the Survivor’s Club, an exhibition that brings together witty work by five international artists, Fang Di, Lin Aojie, Mia+Máire, and Angeliki Tsoli. Funny but honest, with a dash of bittersweet satire, these works are reflections and criticism of our contemporary experiences under uneasy economic and social pressure: the financial struggle of being an artist; the product of cultural invasions; the loss from displacement; and the omnipresence of media and advertisement… all revolving around the -ism that starts with the letter “C”. Fresh hand-tossed perspectives from Angeliki Tsoli and Mia+Máire, paired with vintage works by Fang Di and Lin Aojie, this is a feast with your fellow “millennial millionaires” you do not want to miss. Opening reception on Friday, October 13, 6-9pm.

Fang Di is a Chinese artist based in Shenzhen, China, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. His works delve into the evolution of urbanization and reflect upon the rapid and chaotic changes in today’s society. Fang’s work has been exhibited internationally, including Vanguard Gallery, Shanghai (2017); Today Art Museum, Beijing (2015); Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou (2015); and The Museum of Moscow, Moscow (2014). Fang received a BFA from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art.

Lin Aojie is a Guangzhou-based artist and previously worked as a painting assistant and product packaging specialist. As a multimedia artist, he transfers personal stories and experiences to photography, video, drawing, and installation. Lacking no humor and satire, his work examines the power play of the art world and the relationship between art and artist. Lin participated in the Shanghai Biennale (2016), and was shortlisted by Huayu Youth Award (2016). Lin received his BFA and MFA from Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

Mia+Máire are the collaborative twosome Mia Ardito and Máire Witt O’Neill based in NY and Chicago. Through the embodiment of their television network, Soft Pants Studios, Mia+Máire create and perform in the conceptual surreality TV show Sad Girls Club TV and the new Maggots Club TV. Ardito received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art. O’Neill received her BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Angeliki Tsoli is an interdisciplinary visual artist from Athens, Greece and is currently based in Chicago, USA. Her work explores the political, poetic and displaced body through actions in public space, photography, video, installations and experimental writing. Moreover, she is interested in radical education through the medium of performance. She received Diploma of Visual and Applied Arts with distinction from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and is pursuing her MFA in Performance Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

Public screening on Friday, October 20th, 6-9pm will feature Infinite Loop (2015) by Double-Color Balls (Lin Aojie + Yu Yiyi). The three-hour video pieces together the daily routines and conversations of the artist duo over five months. While trying to save up for an iPhone 5s by working as hourly painters, they wait in vain for their lump sum payment and come up with hilarious money-saving strategies. Infinite Loop is a poignant criticism on the economy of artistic labor while alluding to millennial poverty as a social issue at large.

Exhibition opens from October 13th to 29th, 2017.

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Tags: Angeliki Tsoli, Chicago, Fang Di, Lin Aojie, Lithium, Lower West Side, Mia+Máire, Millennial Millionaires and the Survivors Club