Painting & Printmaking School of Fine Art
李沁頤 Qinyi Li
Qinyi Li is a Chinese artist based in Glasgow and Beijing, whose practice unfolds at the intersection of traditional Chinese philosophy and the Western-centric global art discourse. Her work responds to the rupture of cultural lineage in contemporary contexts—not as a binary conflict, but as a complex generative space of contradictory tension and transformation; it also reflects on how re-engaging with nature through embodied perception can regenerate our relational consciousness within a world shaped by technological spectacle.
Drawing from the I Ching, Taoism, Shanshui, and Chan Buddhist thought, Qinyi develops a rhizomatic generative system： A process-driven approach rooted in the Taoist principle of non-coercive action(无为) nature view; A non-linear, interconnected system where difference exists without opposition, rigid binaries, or hierarchies— instead embracing a dynamic balance in which multiple elements coexist, connect, and interact. This ecosystem of relationships generates meaning through tension and flow, echoing her relational worldview of harmony in diversity (和而不同). Through her poetic reinterpretation and an intuitive, perceptual mode of making, she deconstructs symbolic meanings, dissolves functional boundaries, and evokes raw perception and strangeness through materiality and the tensions between objects, perception, and dynamic form. The Chinese culture, therefore, exists not through explicit symbolic forms, but is embodied in a inner generative logic.
Rather than imposing fixed meanings, her work opens an ambiguous “realm of blankness”, inviting viewers into states of true perception, where shedding the compass of cognition allows raw sensation, personal feelings, and memory to become the core guides. Here, sensation, memory, and inner resonance serve as pathways toward a wider spiritual cosmos.
(*All the terms of my practice will be explained in the rhizomatic keywords map on the right.)
Degree show: Untitled 202505
This installation unfolds through three main structural components: a branching rhizomatic form, an ink-infused Xuan paper wall, and a kinetic system involving motors, flowing water, and suspended elements. Together, they form an interconnected ecosystem—each part distinct yet inseparable—generating a field of transformation and resonance. The work draws deeply from the Yijing, employing its patterns and principles as structural frameworks that inform both composition and flow.
I emphasise a rhizomatic mode of formation, with dual implications: first, Deleuze’s notion of decentralised, non-hierarchical growth in ideas, processes, and relations; second, a metaphor for the floating, indeterminate condition of traditional Chinese cultural roots within contemporary Chinese art. The rhizome here is not just a form, but also a method of thinking, making, and connecting. Through this structure, the installation offers an inner refuge—a space of slowed perception, attentive listening, and felt connection.
The motor and water components represent my most recent experiment in my practice. These dynamic elements- spinning structure, water pump and sound amplify advice introduce controlled movement of industrial material and unseen vibration, establishing a counterbalance with the static components—yin yang- which shows a non-dualistic view of relational balance.
The ink wall, composed of layers of Xuan paper and absorbed ink, correspond to my second year core exploration of the boundary between painting and sculpture, while Influenced by Daoist idea of non-coercieve nature, the flow of ink is controlled not by the fully my hand, but by natural forces: gravity, and the texture and structure of the paper.
This installation invites viewers to reexamine their relationship with the natural world—not through imposed instruction, but through embodied, sensory experience. It aims to shift our awareness of nature away from control and exploitation, toward resonance, coexistence, inclusion, and mutual transformation.
Shanshui System 202412
In this work, I translate my understanding and sensory experience into the composition of form and material, while deliberately preserving intuitive and unconscious elements that come during my making. This approach opens space for self-reflection, inviting viewers to unravel their own interpretations through the layers of perception and blank-leaving space. (See keywords map statement). Generating an interconnected echo between materiality, my own transformation, viewer engagement and their projected interpretations.
The work is presented as a scattered collective system. Same as the previous work, it follows a rhizomatic structure— non-hierarchical, fragmented but interconnected. I consciously explored the unique narrative of each material while forming new relationships with others, generating new stories and meanings. Also, the space itself becomes a key component in the work, where the material interacts with the environment to create a distinct locality that stimulates its Dasein (Existential idea of the being/Existence in relation to location by Heidegger).
The materials can be grouped into three general categories: natural, industrial, and self-created formative materials. Contradictions in the visual and tactile qualities of materials are used to provoke reflection on the relationship between nature and contemporary society. Rigid geometric frames symbolise structural rigidity, while flexible ropes and hand-sculpted porcelain evoke fluidity. Highlighting a pleasing sensation of natural, flexible. The tensions and contradictions between different materials form the philosophical relationship of mutual constraints, shifting meanings, mutual dissolving, and dynamic exchanges.
The lighting in the environment adds a visual dimension to the work, with shadows as a connecting element and reflections enhancing the material qualities-Light penetrates transparent pipes and refracts off steel surfaces…
Untitled 202410
This work explores the relationship between natural flows, mechanisms, with human control, also reflecting on the limitations of the agency of cultural materials.
I delve into the signification nature of materials, deliberately selecting primitive- natural elements and seeking to break the fixed meanings through abstraction, unconventional use, and recombination. Similarly, when working with ready-made materials, I deconstruct their original functionality to evoke a sense of strangeness to material. Specifically, in this work, I deconstructed the traditional nature of ink to transform a destructive meaning with the use of the unconventional fragility characteristics of Rice Paper.
The work is characterised by its suddenness and contingency. In the moment when the pump is out of control, the internal pressure of the soft ceramic blocked water pipe bursts out with the flow of water.
The uncontrolled and unexpected moment becomes the core element that establishes the work’s blank-leaving vague space, while the collapse implicates a destructive image of today’s society. The unexpected situation provokes attention and visceral response from the viewer that challenges the way of seeing, invites more direct perceptions and interaction with the artwork.
Project Links
Shanshui System 01
In this work, I envision a construction where modern industrial products symbolise a world shaped by human dominance, while natural and handmade objects reflect a dialogue about the balance between humanity and nature. It represents a cyclical system of flow, guided by the natural forces of time, erosion, and fluidity. Each component carries symbolic and spiritual meaning, yet all flow through the mediums of water and ink.
Some elements express personal meanings, while others try to abstract and dissolve familiar agencies inherent in these elements, inviting viewers to perceive and reimagine them through new presentations and dynamic assemblies.
Project Links
Painting Work 01
A work generated through the practice of ‘Walking in the City”. Inspired by the traces that time brought to Glasgow city. The invisibility of time, but tangibly marked and left behind in the corners of the city…
By presenting the process and techniques of painting-folding paper to leave traces of time in different stages, representing an accumulation and changing of time and the erosion of the water represents the wearing away of time.
In addition, this work also implies my early stage in the exploration of the relationship between time, space and the formation of images.
Painting Work 02
This work represents my first exploration of sound and visual synesthesia, which the visual image of catching the raindrops reminds the viewer the sound of rain， creating an interaction with our other senses. It is still a representation of a natural phenomenon, but artificialised by applying the ink mark on the paper.
Reflecting a mechanised relationship between human control and the laws of nature.
Fluid Painting Series 01
This work illustrates a straightforward relationship between natural control and human manipulation.
The fluidity creates a flowing image, as liquid ink evaporates over time, leaving its marks behind.
The transformation of porcelain from its pliable, moldable state to hardened ceramic after firing encapsulates a compelling combination of softness and rigidity. Subtle hand imprints, the tangible warmth exchanged between the artist’s hands and the porcelain, the smooth texture juxtaposed with the strength applied, and the rough fingerprints smoothed against the polished surface—all contribute to this dynamic.
The tactile interaction with porcelain evokes a physical unconsciousness, manifesting perception through form. A finite shape gives rise to infinite traces and imaginative possibilities.
Fluid Painting Series 02
The changing space on the painting surface creates flowing images,
The changing direction of gravity forms the chaos of flowing drips;
The layering of colours with their length of the light waves disrupts the orderly hierarchy of the image, recomposing a new visual order and disturbing the vision straight to the eyes;
The structure of the radiant out from the centre creates certain imaginary landscapes; the encircling images and the stagnant drips that stopped in a certain place may become signals of the vision of time.
The faint glow of the glittering blue gives an ambiguous visual illusion, while the texture and the properties of the medium superimpose an additional layer of language over the image, so that the painting is gilded with unclear possibilities, perhaps it can become projections of the individual psyche, associations of memories.
Or maybe it will become some personal interpretation, as if the cracks and fragility in the painting become meanings linked with some impressions of art.
