What kind of medium do you use to make art?
I do not limit myself to the use of one single medium, but I do have my preference. For now, I am interested in doing drawings, sculptures, installation and photography.
How did you begin your art journey?
I have been making art since 2011, I was studying Fine Arts in Chinese University at that time. I used to do a lot of illustrations, because I like to visualize my imaginations simply using a pen and paper. I’ve got a sense of freedom while doing drawings.
What is your artistic process like?
I am sensitive to materials. I usually use my intuition to choose the material and then I add my own interpretation. The idea or concept usually comes very last. And I like the accidents that happen when transforming the materials.
Tell us about your art practice.
It begins with a compulsory need to fix and repair things which are broken. I have this desire to be the one who fixes things in this world, although I know things will be broken again. This idea sits as the core of my art practice. I attempt to bring in the dilemma of hope and reality into my works. This psychological thought has a large influence by existentialism and I am trying to apply the ideas into a contemporary world.
Most of the time, I work with small objects/sculpture. I use repetition as a strategy in an art piece. It also creates a state of meditation or solitude. My works consist of a sense of emptiness. They often engage with human condition, which I would describe as loneness, sadness, solitariness and isolation, but at the same time to give hope, humanism, care and love. Mending creates a sense of hopefulness into the world. I would try to put this contradictory feeling inside my artworks.
Is there a place in Hong Kong that inspires you a lot?
Jusco and hardware shop
Which Hong Kong artist you admire the most?
Nadim Abbas, his works are well-researched and they consist lots of psychological elements.
How did art influence you as a person?
Art really fills my emptiness. Besides, it is the only field that I could fully express myself and there is no judgement on right or wrong. I enjoy the way that I could use my true personality to communicate with people.
“A smell could recall my memories all of a sudden and this makes me think of a particular person.”
About Florence Li
Website: florence-li.com
Florence’s works:
Favourite Book: The Plague by Albert Camus
Favourite Film: The Darjeeling Limited
Most admired person: Frida Kahlo