Sizhu Li is a Chinese-born multi-disciplinary artist based in New York. Educated in two different continents, Li has developed a unique visual language of immersive kinetic installations to illustrate her understanding of the universe, society, and nature which was influenced by both Eastern wisdom and Western philosophy. In 2018, she graduated from MICA with the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship, an annual national award granted to only ten students chosen from Top 10 art schools in the US.
Li’s installation works have exhibited at Spring/Break, Flux Factory, the Governors Island Art Fair, Chashama Gallery and the Baltimore–Washington International Airport among other local and international group shows. Her upcoming shows include a two-person show at Maryland Howard County Center for the Arts (2020) and a solo show at Amerasia Bank Art Gallery (2020).
Sizhu constructs immersive interactive installations. These installations are usually large-scale, presented in an open form, meant to be experienced. Many components are accessible household elements such as clip lights, desktop fans, and pinwheels. By this form, the artist expects to crumple the boundary between gallery art and people’s real life, so that viewers would not feel a distance and could freely get inspired to rethink. Mechanized sounds generated by materials are typically mixed in this theater, producing a natural and orchestral experience to the audiences who approach. All parts naturally collaborate in an assemblage, involving new and old, familiar and strange, natural and industrial considerations.
With coded controls, her installations are kinetic. Juxtaposing objects with Sisyphean movements, materials are treated as fleshy characters, where melancholy and nostalgia embed in humor. These emotions come from the paradox between the increasing complexity of our life and the unchanged hope to make life purified. In-depth, her research combines ancient oriental philosophy and modern technologies to craft a form of futurism. The Yin-Yang philosophy in the chaos of modern society is an essential topic in her works.
Who is Sizhu Li?
About her works
About her experience
Education
MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore, U.S
BFA, China Central Academy of Fine Art (CAFA), Beijing, China
Residencies and Programs
4heads Art In Residency, NYC
Anderson Ranch Residency, CO
Good Hart Residency, MI
Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program, New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), NYC
PS122 Studio Project Program, NYC
Awards and Honors
Nomination of International Studio and Curatorial Practice of Toby Devan Lewis Residency, NYC
Anderson Ranch Residency Fellowship, CO
Finalist of the A.I.R Gallery Fellowship, NYC
Toby Devan Lewis Graduation Fellowship (one of ten awardees from Top 10 art schools in the U.S)
Mt. Royal Scholarship, MICA, Baltimore
Future Star Scholarship, CAFA, Beijing
First Prize of Annual Excellent Art Piece, CAFA, Beijing
Second Prize of Annual Excellent Art Piece, CAFA, Beijing
Invited workshops and talks
Invited talk at The Launchpad, Carbondale, CO
Invited talk at Pratt Art School, NYC
Invited Arduino workshop, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey, MI
Invited talk at Good Hart Residency, MI
Sole/Two-person Exhibitions
(Upcoming) TBA, Amerasia Bank Art Gallery, New York City
(Upcoming) TBA, Howard County Art Council, MD
Enigma, Gateway Gallery, Baltimore, MD
Group Exhibitions
Spring/Break Art Show, New York City
Solstice, Flux Factory, New York City
Portal: Governors Island, New York City
Compact Assembly, Walter Otero Contemporary Art Gallery, Puerto Rico
Making Time, Index Art Center, Newark, New Jersey
Multi-servant, Chashama Gallery, New York
LIC Arts Open Fall Salon, Plaxall Gallery, New York
Nights, Baltimore Billboards Gallery, Baltimore
Home: The Gate, BWI International Airport, Baltimore
Thesis show, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore
Better Lucky Next time, Sheila & Richard Riggs Gallery, Baltimore
Chinese Museum Exposition, Chengdu, China
Spitting Distance, Sheila & Richard Riggs Gallery, Baltimore
Initial, Da Yun Tang Gallery, Beijing
Drawing by Heart, CAFA, Beijing
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