Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry Li.
Hi Larry, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story like many others started even before the day I was born. My parents immigrated from China in the 90’s, leaving their friends and family with not a word of English. Their experiences shaped my environment and informed my artistic practice to this day. I think of their leap of faith constantly as I go about my own life, especially now as an artist. My polarized existence growing up as a Chinese American involved feelings of disconnect to family, culture, and wholeness that many in my position can relate too. I have been focusing on this inherited burden as a central aspect to my work ever since I began studying Fine Arts at USC. Today I am working towards my MFA at OTIS college of Art and Design and showing work with Residency Gallery in Inglewood, CA.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve only recently began seeing myself as an artist. Before that, I struggled with committing to that title because of the environment I was brought up in. Growing up in the bay area as a Chinese American, I felt expectations from my community that I had to conform to a certain type of model identity, and being an artist was never really a part of those expectations. It took a lot to say f*ck it, I was gonna pursue my career with the skills I knew I had and not try to be someone I was not.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My work is a reflection of my inherited narrative. I use old photographs from my family and visual culture from Chinese history to reinterpret the lost memories I experience as a member of the Chinese Diaspora through paintings, collages, and videos. We’re all an amalgamation of different cultures and identities and my work is just one of many examples of how our cultures have intertwined to create unique perspectives and stories,
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The Pandemic has done many things, it has unearthed the wrongs of our society, it has divided us, but it has also brought us together and it helped remind us of the important things in life. For me, I was able to cherish more time with my family and dive deeper into why I create the work I do. With the world shut down, I was forced to focus on myself, and I was able to create more pieces than I have ever done in the span of one year. This strange period offered many new perspectives and I saw my practice evolve into one of nuance. The subtle patterns and differences of history and society that the past year revealed to us allowed me to connect different moments into one through new paintings that hinted at both our present situations and our past experiences.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://larryli.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larryli_official/
