Wang Lei first discovered that slips of toilet papers could be rolled into threads, and he began to use these threads as loops of wool to knit clothes. Later he has expanded the use of materials, such as books and newspapers, exploring their unique qualities as readymade materials, and cultural intermediations. The knitting process is an analogy of reading and sorting out information to fabricate impressive stories.
The paper media has overloaded our life with all sorts of trivia information, and they only receive a short span of attention, after which they are thrown out as wastes to be recycled. Wang acts like a traditional gleaner, to “cherish every word and notes” and to search assiduously among these used-to-be value holders to create a new visual dimension. Theses newspaper clips, portraits and other pieces reveal different ways of filtering, articulating or fragmenting information in contemporary society, as a deeper meaning of his knitting process.