Nianxin Li

Nianxin Li (b. 1999, Chongqing, China).  Li’s practice commences with a sense of disconnection between the purpose and methods of her early education and family life. This series of works delves into the possibility of various elements actively or passively coexisting within the same space, while also challenging the traditional framework that prioritizes familial relationships.

Li subverts the traditional still-life genre by infusing her compositions with atypical elements. Tension pervades the steady plane as objects both rely on and guard against one another. Each creature assumes different responsibilities while disregarding itself. They contort and press carefully to maintain balance, yet beneath this equilibrium lies the sinking ground, the impending burst of a bubble, and the overlooked essence of life. Though her images possess streamlined aesthetics, they are far from simplistic: multiple visual focal points vie for attention within her paintings, bright, toxic colors clash with neutral tones, and diverse paints, including oil, spray, and acrylic, overlap. These visual effects engender a sense of division and confrontation, albeit with mutual checks and balances.

From 2017 to 2020, Li studied at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts. In 2023, Li received her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Li has exhibited both domestically and internationally. Li has participated in group exhibitions with Village one gallery, New York, NY, (2022); New Collectors gallery, New York, NY, (2022); 550 gallery,  NY, USA, (2022); SVA Chelsea Gallery, Manhattan, NY, USA, (2023); Chambers Gallery, Manhattan, NY, USA, (2023); Latitude Gallery, Manhattan, NY, USA, (2023); Dimly at First, loft 121, Manhattan, NY, USA, (2023); la Beast gallery, Los Angeles, (2024). Solo exhibition, K11 museum, Shanghai, China (2023). Li lives and works in New York, US.