Li Hao - Modern Artist 

"My work is my best attempt at giving the impossible, the infinite, a physical, objective existence. I spent several years distilling these concepts down to the essential.

There is a minimalistic simplicity to the work, yet it expresses something infinite — it’s a pluralistic paradox. I’ve tried to visually demonstrate the colossally vast and the infinitesimally small — the cosmos and the divinity inside oneself." 

Li Hao received his Bachelor of Architecture from CAFA in 2008, and set out to be an artist in 2016.

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Narrative and Collective Experience

At the heart of my creative practice lies the exploration of narrative and collective experience. Art serves as a medium for storytelling — a form that invites audiences into immersive narratives. Central to this exploration are mirrored reflections and transparent materials, which materialize the relationship between the individual and the collective. In mirrored spaces, viewers see themselves alongside others, with their own reflections interweaving or separating. This interplay presents a meditation on identity, community, and the interconnectedness of our lives. In works such as Tangkou Coffee Studio and Pop Star, this reflective interaction transforms the act of viewing into a moment of shared self-awareness and mutual recognition.

Light and interactive technology are recurring elements in my works. Light is both universal and deeply personal. By integrating light with technology, I anchor fleeting experiences in physical space, prompting people to reflect on the meaning we assign to our surroundings and ourselves. In this interplay, technology acts as a compass, offering clues that help audiences decode the layered narratives embedded within the work.

In an increasingly fragmented and digitized world, I believe more than ever in the transformative power of physical space to cultivate empathy, curiosity, and collective memory.

Socially Engaged Practice

In 2017, I launched a socially engaged art project called Program SPARK, a collaborative public art initiative with left-behind children and community members from remote areas of China. Through Program SPARK, I strive to create a dynamic space where participants are not mere observers of art but active contributors to it — a process that ultimately reshapes their relationship with the world around them.

The project utilizes everyday industrial materials such as shared second-hand bicycles and surplus plastic stools, while also integrating the cultural characteristics of local communities, including the Yi people of Daliangshan, the Bai people of Weishan, and the Tujia people of Enshi. By centering the voices of these underrepresented communities, the project promotes sustainable development and transformation, with a focus on addressing social issues like educational equity.

All production details of Program SPARK are publicly available on its website, making it an open-source project that anyone can replicate, improve, and reproduce. This initiative serves as a call for co-creation — a convergence of imagination, community, and action.

The project reflects my belief in art as a tool for social change — a force that extends beyond aesthetics to address urgent social issues. Program SPARK transcends the confines of the gallery, embedding itself within the deeper layers of social structures.

The project is the only East and Southeast Asian winner of the IAPA International Award for Public Art and also received the iF Social Impact Prize and the BCAF Sustainable Design Award for Young Projects in 2021.

2003 - 2008