“Artists on Our Radar” is a monthly series focused on five artists who have our attention. Utilizing our art expertise and Artsy data, we’ve determined which artists made an impact this past month through new gallery representation, exhibitions, auctions, art fairs, or fresh works on Artsy.
Yanjun Li
B. 1998, Kunming, China. Lives and works in New York
New York–based painter Yanjun Li’s ethereal abstractions transport viewers to new realms. Working at large scale, the artist produces glistening compositions that appear translucent and endless. Her work fosters a dialogue between the seen and the unseen, as she skilfully embeds hidden symbols and meanings just beneath their painted surfaces. A selection of Li’s paintings is on view through December 16th in a group exhibition, “Latent Rhythm,” at Jack Barrett in New York.
Leveraging abstraction’s resistance to tangibility and literal interpretation, Li’s work considers the dynamics of relationships, harnessing the sort of interpersonal energies that transcend language. The visually stirring results of this approach are on view at Jack Barrett, as in Submerge (2023), which depicts an otherworldly expanse of water with glossy droplets and overlapping waves. Similarly, in Threshold (2023), form and color coalesce, as Li employs fluid brushwork to achieve maximum luminosity.
In 2020, Li earned a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, where she is currently an MFA candidate. She also holds a postbaccalaureate degree from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. This summer marked the debut solo exhibition of the rising artist at LATITUDE Gallery New York—a young gallery committed to nurturing emerging talents within the Asian diaspora.
