Art Criticism: Can you describe your current life and work?
Li Xinmo: Most of my time is devoted to creating art. I've recently embarked on a new series. Besides creating, I also exhibit, write, read, and teach.
Art Criticism: Are you satisfied with your current life? What is your ideal life?
Li Xinmo: I believe there is no perfect ideal life, so I am continually journeying toward an unknown and unknowable future.
Art Criticism: Do you think there are femininity in your creations?
Li Xinmo: What do we mean by "femininity"? Are they inherent to women or imposed by society? When we emphasize women's natural attributes, we reinforce societal constructs. I aim to deconstruct essentialism and gender concepts, so I am cautious about feminine qualities. However, it's sometimes unavoidable because I cannot escape how others perceive my gender identity.
Art Criticism: As a woman, do you find life difficult?
Li Xinmo: Life presents challenges for everyone.
Art Criticism: Do you think marriage and children will affect your creative life?
Li Xinmo: Both marriage and children can transform one's life and experiences, thus influencing creativity.
Art Criticism: What makes you feel anxious?
Li Xinmo: Time.
Art Criticism: How does anxiety affect your creativity?
Li Xinmo: Anxiety about time can be a motivator, pushing me to accomplish more.
Art Criticism: What factors usually consume your creativity?
Li Xinmo: Creativity is a form of wisdom, a call from the inner world. However, the world's instability and distractions can hinder my ability to connect deeply with my inner self, thereby affecting my creativity.
Art Criticism: Can you briefly describe your birth family and its impact on you?
Li Xinmo: The influence of my birth family is ingrained in my subconscious, like everyone else. My melancholy, nightmares, and fascination with death stem from childhood memories.
Art Criticism: How does a romantic partner affect your creativity?
Li Xinmo: We come from different cultural backgrounds, professions, and ways of thinking. Living together inevitably impacts my creativity.
Art Criticism: What issues do you usually focus on?
Li Xinmo: Environmental issues, social politics, and global phenomena in the art world.
Art Criticism: How much of your life have you invested in creativity so far?
Li Xinmo: It's hard to distinguish between life and creativity. My creativity is mainly conceptual, a continuous thought process followed by the visualization of that idea. Therefore, my daily life is an ongoing creative process.
Art Criticism: For the "Female Art + Qingchao Plan 2019" exhibition, your work is "Daydream." Can you discuss your creative ideas for this piece?
Li Xinmo: My work wasn't created specifically for this exhibition; it's a reflection on art and science. Initially, I considered displaying a series on female narratives but decided to approach it differently. I noticed that Chinese "female art" often follows a paradigm, using textiles, daily items, and natural materials, with themes around clothes, portraits, and plants. I wanted to challenge this pattern. Thus, I chose my artificial intelligence series "Daydream," developed over the past two years. My goal is to question the possibilities for female art.
Art Criticism: Does this series involve female issues?
Li Xinmo: The images in this series are fascinating—primitive yet futuristic, powerful and magical. They blend ancient legends with modern technology, presenting a new era of female personas with supernatural abilities. This series offers an alternative post-human female image.
Art Criticism: This series integrates art and technology. How do you view the relationship between female art and technological development? Will this become a new trend in female art?
Li Xinmo: I believe this is a direction for artistic development. Science has traditionally been seen as a male domain, while female art is often stereotyped as handmade and distant from technology. This self-imposed barrier needs to be broken.
Art Criticism: Do you like the female body? Do your works focus on female body issues?
Li Xinmo: The body is a contemporary philosophical issue we all face. The female body is not just physical; it's also cultural and political. I have never shied away from addressing the female body and its expression.
Art Criticism: Do you consciously use female body language in your work?
Li Xinmo: It's a peculiar phenomenon. When I prepare to create works related to female issues, I am very conscious of female identity. However, in other creative directions, these considerations fade.
Art Criticism: Do your works focus on issues of female identity?
Li Xinmo: This is a significant aspect of my work.
Art Criticism: When did you start focusing on female art?
Li Xinmo: Around 2007, when I transitioned from traditional to contemporary art. I encountered feminist art theory and began my creative journey.
Art Criticism: How does female identity affect your art and life?
Li Xinmo: Women fulfill many social roles—mothers, wives, daughters—that demand corresponding tasks and responsibilities. Striving to excel in these roles can be draining. Art requires one’s full self. However, as a female artist in a male-dominated world, even if you create universally human art, you are often seen only as a female artist.
Art Criticism: What new phenomena or trends have emerged in contemporary Chinese female art?
Li Xinmo: There seem to be more female artists and exhibitions with female themes.
Art Criticism: What is the significance and value of female art today?
Li Xinmo: Although the number of female artists is growing, there are still few influential ones. Most curators, critics, and collectors are male, so female artists remain in a position of being selected. Advocating for gender equality in the art world is crucial.
Art Criticism: Imagine if you were poor or rich. Describe the life you want in these different situations.
Li Xinmo: Whether poor or rich, I will always pursue art. If too poor for art supplies, I can still write and draw with a pen. If rich, I would invest in better materials, collect art, and perhaps start a museum. I would also focus on environmental protection and helping others.
Art Criticism: What social and personal efforts are necessary to become an excellent artist?
Li Xinmo: Art requires freedom of expression and a supportive cultural environment. In a society dominated by materialism, artists lose their fertile ground.
Art Criticism: Describe the artistic heights you aspire to achieve.
Li Xinmo: I hope to continually surpass my limitations and create a unique art world.