Hailin Li
some more
born in 2002, Beijing, China
currently lives and works in London, United Kingdom
Education
2025-2026 MA Painting, Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom
Supported by the Basil H. Alkazzi Scholarship Award
2020-2024 BFA, Tufts University, Massachusetts, United States
Contact
Artist Statement
My practice is rooted in the exploration of painting as a form of personal poetry. I’m drawn to the quiet power and subtle beauty found in the limited, carefully chosen words of a poem—how restraint can evoke depth, emotion, and resonance. This sensibility mirrors the Eastern aesthetic philosophy I was raised with, particularly the concept of "leaving blank" (留白) and the value of moderation within traditional Chinese art.
Through my work, I seek to translate these poetic gestures into visual language—navigating the space between the seen and the unseen.
From glimpses of life and flickers of imagination, I gather a visual language—shapes, forms, and lines becoming my words; compositions become my rhyme and color embodies the flesh and bones that give the painting life. I compose each piece much like crafting a poem.
While balance and harmony are central to the structure of my work, I also embrace the moments of things to break, shift, emerge and evolve organically throughout the process.
I got to learn this important lesson of valuing moments of disruption and fluidity through my experience working with ceramics.
During my final semester of college, I experimented with clay and glaze as new materials of expression. I began incorporating painterly gestures into glazing, embracing fluidity and spontaneity. This experience led me to rethink the relationship between water and pigment—how movement, absorption, and time can be sculpted into form.
The tactile, fluid nature of the ceramic process prompted me to reflect on my approach to painting. My practice on canvas evolved from pure fluidity into a more intentional rhythm—where I now selectively preserve fleeting, unrepeatable gestures in specific areas of a composition, creating balance between control and movement.
Beginning with an exploration of inspirations drawn from corners of life, I gradually expanded my practice to include film photography and darkroom prints. Searching for elements that resonate with my paintings, I began integrating them into my work to evoke a sense of painterly gesture within the photographic process.
The dialogues between mediums have shifted my way of seeing and creating, encouraging a more responsive and open-ended approach—while maintaining painting as the central focus of my practice.