'a feeling of hanging in the air, of having nothing firm under the feet'...

There is perhaps no art more faithful to life's endless absurdities, perplexities, incongruencies, discrepancies and unpredicability than contemporary performance.

Here are a few priceless gems by a unique Chinese performance artist I worship, Li Wei, interspersed with some of his words of wisdom.

Bright Apex (Beijing, 2007)

[Li Wei] says that much of his work is about change: 'there is a feeling of losing a grip on things, an uncertainty about the morrow. It’s a feeling of hanging in the air, of having nothing firm under the feet'.

Li Wei Falls to the Como Lake (Italy, 2004)

About the Fall photographs, Li Wei says, 'this feeling of having fallen headfirst into something and of having nothing firm under the feet is familiar to everyone. One doesn’t have to fall from another planet to feel it'.

Love at the High Place (Beijing, 2004)

Li has said that much of his work involves the symbolic balancing act between personal freedom and emotional security, such as that of the family.

A Pause for Humanity (Beijing, 2005)

Source, including photographs and captions: http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/gallery/2008/apr/30/photography.chinaarts2008?picture=333839247