Li Ruoheng is a young, emerging artist of the post-90s generation, offering a unique perspective on contemporary art and global culture. Born in Beijing, she attended the Tsinghua University Academy of Arts and Design's preparatory school before embarking on a decade-long journey of study abroad. She enrolled in the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, USA, which is known for its interdisciplinary approach to art education, focusing on themes rather than media, and offering a comprehensive education in various mediums such as photography, painting, sculpture, and installation. In today’s diverse and contradictory society, a single medium is no longer sufficient to express this complexity, and in the context of globalization, artists who utilize multiple media to respond to contemporary society with multi-dimensional narratives are more essential than ever.

Li Ruoheng’s ten years of studying abroad were not confined to the classroom. She traveled to more than 20 countries and regions, gaining experiences far beyond the typical artist’s exposure to the world. This not only expanded her horizons but also deeply influenced her artistic practice and thinking. In 2014, at the age of just 21, she applied for the position of war correspondent for *National Geographic*, covering the Israel-Palestine conflict. This experience profoundly shaped her understanding of global affairs, international conflicts, and the complexity of human environments—insights that continue to nourish her artistic creation throughout her life. Li has thus developed a unique global perspective, a product of China’s deep engagement with the world, which will inject fresh energy and momentum into contemporary Chinese art.

In 2023, she pursued a Master's in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art in the UK. During her studies, she traveled to several European countries, including France and Italy, where she immersed herself in the fusion of contemporary culture and local history under the influence of globalization. Cities and their relationship with people are central themes in her work. Human beings construct cities, and the philosophy of life embedded in them shapes the city. At the same time, cities, as tools, generate behavioral inertia that shapes the spiritual characteristics of their inhabitants. Urban architecture and cultural forms continue to influence future generations. The relationship between cities and people is a two-way process of reshaping.

In her 2024 series The Radiant Metropolis, the cityscapes depicted by Li Ruoheng, formed from white or colored pearls embedded in black velvet, are marks of her journeys—sensory experiences, reflections, and transformations. Each work not only reproduces the appearance of a city but also delves deeper into its inner spirit, its unique cultural characteristics. Through a composition filled with mystery and depth, she uses light as a metaphor to sketch the world’s images as she sees them, reflecting on global cultural exchange and personal memory. Although these works seem two-dimensional, they are, in fact, a dialogue between materials (velvet fabric and pearls), creating a three-dimensional space. This artistic approach aligns perfectly with the "painting beyond painting" transformation in contemporary art, incorporating trends such as diversification, individuality, and interdisciplinarity. In today’s global context, Li’s generation of artists embraces the universality of artistic language with an open attitude, paving the way for their continued development.

Li Ruoheng combines her creative practice with academic research. Each research project produces a batch of works that explore different regional cultures. For example, her research on the Amazon led to Colombia Series—Amazon Legends; her investigation into Israel’s geopolitical situation resulted in Israel Series—The Israeli-Palestinian Separation Wall; and her reflection on growing-up memories inspired Xibianmen Series—Fragments of Memory (Letters, Mailboxes), among others. These explorations of cultural traces and changes are grand questions about cultural diversity and contemporary issues in today’s world. They are interdisciplinary and cross-cultural, representing cutting-edge topics in contemporary art. Having traveled across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia, Li has formed a global perspective, highlighting that culture is fluid and the world is interconnected—an eternal truth. Her works, therefore, carry meanings that transcend the visual, embodying a profound humanistic spirit that questions, explores, imagines, and presents contemporary issues.

Li Ruoheng’s works reflect the vibrant globalized world we live in. In America—Los Angeles, she uses pearls of different sizes and shapes to represent the vitality and diversity of Los Angeles. Her focus is not just on the appearance of the city but on capturing its spirit. In France—Paris, her interpretation leans more towards romance and nostalgia. The use of rose gold pearls in the piece blends the city’s street scenes with the starry sky, conveying Paris’s poetic essence. She cleverly utilizes the properties of different media, combining intuitive creative processes, to shape visible and invisible cultural transformations and integrations within the urban context. In the works, artificial pearls and natural pearls represent man-made and natural elements, reflecting the controllable and uncontrollable aspects of the world’s development. This highlights one of the defining features of the collision of cities and cultures—provoking reflections on contemporary definitions of cities. The pearls in the artwork also symbolize households, and when night falls, the lights in each home shine, forming a cityscape reminiscent of pearls.

Manhattan Era is a work primarily made with gold foil. The material represents the metaphor of wealth and power, a characteristic of multi-media artistic practice. Urbanization in the contemporary world is not a subjective issue defined by individuals, as personal differences can lead to varying judgments. However, the attributes of urbanization can be expressed. Gold, historically a measure of wealth and power, symbolizes some common traits of all cities. The gold, silver, and copper foils in the work represent the complexity of value and lifestyle. The vibrant interplay of pearls and gold in the work reflects the intersection of urban civilization and socio-economic factors. These two multi-media materials construct the thematic space of *City Radiance*, showcasing the future direction of global development. It transports the viewer on an unconventional "international urban journey" that spans time and space.

Text/Chunchen Wang

The Radiant Metropolis series by Li Ruoheng is rich with a global, international perspective. In America—Los Angeles, she uses pearls of different sizes and shapes to represent the vibrancy and diversity of Los Angeles. Her work not only focuses on the appearance of the city but also captures its spiritual essence through artistic language. Similarly, her interpretation of Paris centers more on romance and nostalgia. In France—Paris, she uses rose gold pearls, employing a dyeing technique to blend street scenes with the starry sky, conveying the poetic quality of the city. She skillfully utilizes the attributes of multiple media, combining intuitive creativity to shape the visible and invisible cultural shifts and integrations within the urban context. The work features both artificial and natural pearls, symbolizing the man-made and the natural, representing the controllable and uncontrollable aspects of global development. This also highlights a characteristic of the collision between cities and cultures, provoking reflections on the contemporary definition of cities. The pearls in her work form images while also symbolizing individual homes. When night falls, the lights in each home illuminate, creating a cityscape that resembles pearls.

Manhattan Era is a work primarily made with gold foil. The material represents a metaphor for materiality and is characteristic of her multi-media approach. Urbanization in the contemporary world is not a subjective issue defined by individuals, as personal differences can lead to varying perspectives, but the properties of urbanization can still be expressed. Gold has historically been a measure of wealth and power, and it symbolizes certain commonalities found in all cities. In the work, gold, silver, and copper foils represent the complexity of value and lifestyle.

Urban life is full of desires and opportunities. The collision of people with people, thoughts with thoughts, and values with values creates greater plasticity for each individual. Contemporary cities are marked by diversity, innovation, consumerism, and the fusion of globalization and localism. Each city represents an independent philosophy of life, offering modern individuals the choice to explore different lifestyles, prompting a collective reflection on social identity within the context of globalization. The interplay of pearls and gold in the work expresses the intersection of urban civilization and socioeconomic factors. These two multi-media materials complete the thematic space of the *City Radiance* exhibition, showcasing the future direction of global development. It will take the viewer on an unconventional "international urban journey," traversing time and space.

Text/ Wenlong Wu