Condensation of ritual symbolism and visual culture: From Chinese liqi to contemporary art expressions

Ritual objects liqi are regarded as the most important media for the Chinese to communicate ritual meanings to the supernatural. They are carriers of cultural symbols and iconography, reflecting the social, cultural and economic scenes at the time of their production and application. Nowadays, ritual art and relevant activities have become an increasingly important part of the larger visual culture that surrounds and shapes our daily lives, the study and investigation into the aesthetic, social, philosophical and religious significance of liqi not only enriches cultural arts education in school, but also informs contemporary artists in art production. In this chapter, significant Chinese ritual objects liqi have been introduced to raise interest in cultural art, and especially to enhance understanding of the meaning and symbolism related to cultural and religious concerns. Also, five contemporary artists’ works were discussed with reference to the inspirations of Chinese Liqi, and the different interpretation in the expression of works. Copyright © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.