Joy Minrou Li

Media Arts & Sciences major, Art History minor

My work is a way for me to inject cultural and personal history into objects common in my past and present. I consider familial ties, language-based differences, and materiality as I combine image-based processes with various media. I primarily have a background in printmaking and photography, and combine the two to create screen-printed recreations of photographs.

Growing up between the US and China has made me increasingly aware of language. The concept of fluency is one that is easily lost, and the longer I've been away from China, the more I've felt like I am losing my grasp on my own culture. I have found solace in sentimental items. No matter where I go I have a pair of chopsticks, I bring the blanket I've had since I was born, and I keep digital copies of all of my childhood photos. Being away from home has led me to become increasingly drawn to the objects that hold significance for me.

天下一人/One Person Under Heaven

mixed media

all works on view in the Jewett Gallery

install view of gallery corner with yellow half-sphere hanging lamp sculpture, red and white prints on the walls, irregular green and red handmade rug on a low pedestal

天下一人/One Person Under Heaven is a exploration of how my focus on objects has led me to translate my work into three-dimensional forms. I use the same systems of manipulating images, numbers, and characters into incoherent visual conversation, but have developed them into physical forms like lanterns, rugs, and books. Through experimentation and growth, I have evolved my project from simply learning about my family's past to building objects that represent my future. 天下一人/One Person Under Heaven is about creating objects for the world around me, filling it with all that I cherish and adore.

square print, red ink on white paper, of various family photos arranged in a grid of 4, surrounded by a square ring of smaller photos

5 small accordion-style books installed open across a gallery corner; they have archival family photos inside, and red and white printed covers

close up on a square print, red ink on white, of a child leaning on a beam, rendered in pointilist dots

close up on an accordion-style book stretched open to show a photo of a child standing in a yard; text at left reads 'in some ways i still look the same; text at right reads 'and i still do the same things'

half-sphere hanging lamp sculpture made of bright yellow biohazard bags, text in Chinese and English characters

top down view of an irregular red and green handmade rug on a white pedestal

close up view of a hand-tufted rug in shades of red, greens, and gray

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