The Mother of All Journeys by Dinu Li

To accompany Opera North’s new production of Madama Butterfly

Preview Saturday 15 September 5 - 8pm

Tuesday 18 September - Saturday 10 November

Tuesday – Saturday 12 noon – 7pm

FREE ADMISSION

How do we orientate our personal and cultural identities in an increasingly connected yet fragmented world?

The Mother of All Journeys is an exploration by second generation, British Chinese artist Dinu Li into the memories of his 80-year-old mother. Through a series of colour photographs Li charts her journey from China to England.

This artistic collaboration between mother and son uses recollections of memories that were told to Dinu and together they have attempted to photograph the exact sites of her stories in China, Hong Kong and Northern England. In this exhibition at 42 New Briggate Dinu’s photographs are displayed as prints, whilst being accompanied by his mother’s personal family archive.

The exhibition links in with Opera North’s first new production of Madama Butterfly in almost a decade, which opens at Leeds Grand Theatre on 15 September. Set to Puccini’s poignant score, this touching story of innocent love crushed amidst the mutual incomprehension of two utterly different cultures, resonates as strongly as ever in today’s world.

About the artist:
Dinu Li is a UK based artist, born in Hong Kong and living in Manchester. He has been longlisted for the prestigious Northern Art Prize and has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally. He has recently had shows in Texas, USA; Cologne, Germany; London and Liverpool, UK; Toronto, Canada; Beijing, China. www.dinuli.co.uk

The Mother of All Journeys is published by Dewi Lewis Publishing. In July 2007 it was shortlisted for the Recontres d'Arles Contemporary Photography Book Prize. It is available for purchase at 42 New Briggate at a special exhibition price of £20.

Madama Butterfly
15th Sept - 8 Nov 2007 – Leeds Grand Theatre
5th - 22nd January 2008 – Leeds Grand Theatre
http://www.operanorth.co.uk/

Extracts from The Mother of All Journeys

Hong Kong - Disused airport, Kai Tak, Hong Kong

"Before emigrating, it was difficult deciding what to take and what to leave. Kiu Yu picked the Bonsai whilst Chun Yu insisted on bringing the framed Great Wall of China. When we got to England, the Bonsai was confiscated. They pointed at the soil stuck on the roots and took the plant away."



Hong Kong - Local portrait studio, Kowloon