We were lucky to catch up with Orange Li recently and have shared our conversation below.

Orange, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

To answer this question, first we have to know what is the definition of professional artist? To me, being a professional artist means that art and life are inseparable. In a sense it is an alchemical process of turning indescribable consciousness into material forms consistently and truthfully, regardless of market success.

Therefore, my journey towards becoming a professional artist has been more of a gradual realization than a sudden decision. Seeds of artistic passion were planted within me from a very young age, waiting to blossom when the time was right.

Several pivotal calling moments guided me towards this path. One such moment was my emotional reaction upon viewing Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo in Florence. Another significant turning point occurred during my second time of having ovarian cyst surgery, prompting me to reevaluate my life purpose and prioritize art over material pursuits. Those moments led me to liquidating my possessions and leaving behind a career in the jewelry field at the age of 27, I departed my homeland of Taiwan to traveled to the United States for the first time, embarking on a journey as a nomadic artist for nearly six years before deciding to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at the School of the Visual Arts (SVA).

Being in the academic environment undeniably brought me as an outsider closer to understanding the complexities of the art worlds and allowed me to shed the skin of societal expectations to uncover and confront my inner voice. At the same time, It is important to note that the exorbitant tuition fees, especially for someone without financial privilege like me, have placed me at risk of carrying a heavy burden of student loans. Other than that, the academic experience was indeed transformative and played a vital role to help me observe the authentic self behind the veil.
It has been an experience that has unfolded the journey organically within my own timeline.

Orange, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I explore the interconnectedness between nature, time-space travel and herstory in my art. Central to this exploration is a human-like figure, Niwawa, (meaning Clay baby in Chinese) that has consistently appeared in my drawings since I was 5 years old, the year I was nearly sold by my biological father due to poverty and gender inequality. It marked the genesis of “Niwawa-A Child Prodigy of Pain.”

Niwawa’s pain is the catalyst that activates her “Time Machine Mind and Spaceship Body.” It becomes a conduit for her to travel in-between spaces, exploring the dichotomies of existence – chaos and order, cruelty and compassion, mortality and transcendence, morality and malevolence, dreams and realities.

My work has become a vehicle for transgressing the pain by reimagining healing bodies infused with cosmic fluids traveling from underwater to celestial bodies, from fiery infernos to a colorful floating outer space paradiso. Through acrylic paintings and works on paper, the elements include monstrous figures, winged eggs as flying vessels, black holes, mysterious biomorphic forms, sparkling stars, and otherworldly botanical plant species.

I aim to address challenging issues such as poverty, gender discrimination, the commodification of women, and sexual violence through the work. It challenges societal norms and gives a voice to the hidden and oppressed aspects of the human experience.

Niwawa’s transformation from a victim of neglect and abandonment into a representation of empowerment reflects the potential for healing and liberation.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn the images of women and girls that I was surrounded with as a child and young woman. It was a realm where women were often infantilized and judged based on their appearance, while being seen as less valuable than men. Coming from Taiwan-generally in Asia, there was a culture of praising the innocence and cuteness of women and girls, which unfortunately leads to women becoming helpless individuals often seeking reliance on men for financial support constantly. It is also shaped by patriarchal systems that have existed across generations worldwide, which have historically posed challenges for women in their efforts to advance and sustain themselves.

During ancestor praying rituals in front of my family altar in Taiwan, I was always pushed to the back because of my gender, despite being the oldest child. If I happened to have my period, I was not allowed to participate in the temple ceremony due to it being considered impure. AndI have encountered different forms of violence towards me as a female while growing up.

I’ve worked to unlearn the shame associated with the traumas experienced by women, and also understanding that we should not fear speaking out against male predators who blackmail or exploit girls with their nudity. In cases of forced intercourse, we can empower women to speak up and demand a safer environment that protects women and girls.

I am now breaking out from the confines of the traditional role of being a cute, kind, and good woman. I am unapologetically taking action to express my inner unfiltered and unrestrained voice through my art.

I believe that unlearning shame is an important transition for women which will allow us to stand up, speak out, create, and come together to collectively heal and pave the way towards a more equitable future.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

To me, it is a journey of healing with freedom in mind. Exploring any field that I am interested in, diving deeper into my consciousness through automatism, experiencing unsolvable mysteries, confronting the ugly truths in personal and collective herstory bravely, all while holding onto a thread of hope to embark on the journey of our own divine comedy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.orangeliart.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/li.orange/