In 2009, Li Xinmo began creating works on paper dealing with gender and sexuality through her series "Menstrual Blood Painting." Menstrual blood is one of the most significant aspects of a woman’s life. Throughout a woman’s life, it appears every month, and it is menstrual blood that plays a crucial role in conception. A woman’s life utilizes blood to anticipate the arrival of new life. Despite this, in many cultures, menstrual blood is viewed as filthy and impure. Li Xinmo created this profoundly gendered work by using her own menstrual blood to paint once a month. She painted portraits of women who are skinless, bloody, and in pain. These images visualize pain, bringing both physical and mental anguish into artistic form. These works deal with the experiences of reproduction and pain. The images are subversive, as they challenge the typical ways women are defined in male-dominated societies. These portraits aren’t beautiful and do not produce joy. The meaning of these portraits also lies in how they proclaim the true existence of women and motherhood. The "Women" series has been exhibited at the Salzburg Museum of Modern Art, Salzburg, Austria; Lillehammer Art Museum, Lillehammer, Norway; Gamle Strand, Copenhagen, Denmark; and CIMS, Ipswich, London, UK.
