Yichen Li
ABOUT
Yichen Li (b. 1996, China) received her MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art, London. She has been awarded Runner-up for Sculpture Design at the Chanel NEXT Award, Chanel Headquarters, France, and Finalist for the Woodworking Award of the Year, Heritage Crafts Awards, UK, Heritage Crafts Foundation.Her work has been included in the public collections of LVMH, FENDI, CINDY CHAO, X Museum, Luo Zhongli Art Museum and Fengyuzhu Building.
Her practice explores the notion of the "barrier/screen" in sculpture, re-examining East Asian traditions by integrating the screen's historical function as spatial divider and image-bearer with contemporary material research. This approach yields a methodology marked by both ritual and material enquiry. In her carving process, the grain, temperature, and scent of wood become subjects of close attention, as natural properties and manual labour intertwine to inform the work's internal structure. Through meticulous detail, she deploys light and negative space as operative elements, creating spatial installations that resonate both visually and psychologically.
Her solo/duo exhibitions include: “Screen, Garden, Layrinth, Pavilion”, Yangcheng Lake Banyan Tree, Suzhou (2026); “The Garden of Screens”, Soul Art Centre, Beijing (2025); “Cloud Veil: Contemporary Awakening of Heirloom Elegance”, AMAN Yangyun, Shanghai (2025)
Her selected group exhibitions include: Chengdu Biennale, Chengdu Art Museum, Chengdu (2026); “The Cabinet of Wonder”, X Museum, Shanghai (2025); “Dongliang Craft Atelier”, Pillars Gallery, Shanghai (2025); “The Aura River”, Bluerider ART Gallery, Shanghai (2025); “Zhilan – A Glance in Urban Garden”, X Museum, Shanghai (2024); Unseen Wounds, The Crypt Gallery, London(2023); I Object, Freud Museum London, London (2021).
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