About
Mimi Li 李米米 (a.k.a. Gallery Rice) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Hong Kong and New York. She graduated from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University. She works primarily in sculpture and painting, but is also active in installation, illustration, digital media, photography, printmaking, sustainable design, fashion, poetry, fiction, and other arts.
Li’s current practice is a contemporary reinterpretation of classic Shanshui art, bringing traditional landscapes to life in a tangible, three-dimensional form. By merging the fluidity and intricacy of linework with the physicality of sculptural forms, she aims to create a multi-sensory experience that blurs the boundaries between painting and sculpture.
Shanshui paintings have always depicted natural landscapes as manifestations of the Dao, emphasizing the harmony between humans and the natural world. Mountains and water, central elements in this tradition, represent the universe’s duality—stability and permanence versus fluidity and change. Li strives to maintain this perspective while infusing it with a modern sensibility.
By integrating traditional Chinese Shanshui art with Western biomorphic abstraction, she addresses the topographical concerns of contemporary art, creating a dialogue between organic, nature-inspired forms and the philosophical depth of Shanshui.
Her work explores the underlying tensions and conflicts that shape our contemporary reality, delving into the complexities of our current global landscape. Through swirling, chaotic lines, she mirrors the tumultuous state of global affairs. At the same time, her structured and harmonious compositions offer a vision of potential balance and recovery. This duality underscores the urgency of addressing the destructive forces at play in our world, advocating for a harmonious coexistence with nature and each other.
Exhibitions
Through the Key Hole Solo Show
2023 Bibliowicz Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Guild of Visual Arts: Spring Gallery Group Show
2023 Williard Straight Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Design Connect: Upgrading the Town of Geneva Transfer Station Group Show
2023 Sibley Hall, Cornell University, New York
Art Crawl: Golden Hour Group Show
2022 228 Wait Ave, Ithaca, New York
Confusion on the Land Group Show
2023 Experimental Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Liquidation Sale Group Show
2022 Olive Tjaden Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Cornell Art Mentorship Program: Cornell Autumn Art Show Group Show
2022 Olive Tjaden Gallery, Cornell University, New York
The Chair Monologues Solo Show
2022 Experimental Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Maven Art House: Summer of ’69 Group Show
2022 Ithaca Farmer’s Market, Cornell University, New York
Anthropu$$yne Group Show
2022 Experimental Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Certainties in an Uncertain World Solo Show
2022 Experimental Gallery, Cornell University, New York
Book Keeping: Artists’ Books Group Show
2020 Olive Tjaden Gallery, Cornell University, New York
