HONGXI LI (b. 1996, Xiamen, China) explores the confluence of corporate influence, power dynamics, and emotional discomfort through sculpture and performance. Her work compounds capitalist critique with humour—manifested through instances of inefficiency, repetition and failure —to examine the experience of individuality within broader social and economic systems. This inquiry is fuelled by her dual perspective as an East Asian woman living in the West, her Chinese identity and migrant experience both contributing to an interest in “in-betweenness.”

Across metalwork, woodwork, casting and upholstery, Li’s sculptural works blend industrial techniques with contemporary minimalism in objects that resemble everyday, mass-produced consumer items, inviting viewers to reassess the familiar and consider how design has historically reflected societal change. In her performances, Li embodies Jolene, a character dressed in corporate attire and formal hairstyle. Jolene’s non-specific yet professional uniform sees the character embody various positions of authority across Li’s live works, with Li seeking to embody and in turn satirise the institutions of power that her sculptural work seeks to question.

Li has been the subject of solo shows at Harlesden High Street, London (2022) and V.O Curations, London (2022), both curated by Martin Mayorga and Vanessa Murrell, and has been included in group presentations at Hybrid Art Fair, Madrid (2023); 9 French Place, London (2023); Kupfer Project, London, curated by Laurie Barron, Isabel Davies and Isabel Walter (2023); The Residency Gallery, London (2022); Generation and Display, London (2022); Kant Garage, Berlin (2022); Lecce Art Week, Lecce (2022); M50 Innovation Plus Art-space, Shanghai (2019); DATEAGLE ART, Online (2019); Tate Modern (Tate Exchange), London (2018) amongst others. She was the receipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s Achievement Scholarship at London’s Royal College of Art in 2023 and graduated from the MA Sculpture programme in 2024. She lives and works in London.