China, 27.03.2025
Li Hongbo, born in Jilin, China, in 1974, is renowned for his innovative paper sculptures, inspired by ancient Chinese honeycomb lanterns. The flexibility and resilience of these lanterns sparked Li’s development of a technique in which he stacks and glues thousands of paper sheets, which he then carves to create dynamic sculptures capable of expanding and contracting. Often made up of up to 20,000 sheets, his work merges traditional craftsmanship with contemporary art. Li’s creations have been featured in solo museum exhibitions worldwide, earning him numerous prestigious awards throughout his career.
Li Hongbo’s deep connection to paper as both a medium and a symbol of transformation is central to his art. Read more about his thoughts on his spectacular work here.
Can you tell me about what you do and your work?
My work can be divided into two parts. The first is artistic creation, exploring personal artistic perception and the tangible presentation of various issues, using a variety of materials to express them, among which works in the medium of paper are more familiar to the public. The second part is cultural research, which includes studies on traditional Chinese printmaking, fundamental Chinese art education, ancient Chinese book art, and Chinese folk art. These research areas have been extremely helpful to my artistic creations.
What does paper mean to you?
My inspiration comes from my in-depth study of traditional Chinese folk culture. Take my paper-based works as an example. Since I began studying at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2000, I have travelled extensively to rural areas across China to study folk culture, especially folk paper crafts. I was particularly impressed by the paper flowers, commonly known as “paper gourds”. They have the ability to ”transform”, presenting diverse spatial volumes under different conditions (through human manipulation), which has become a source of inspiration for my work.
What does paper mean to you?
Paper is the medium for one of my series of works, and it is widely recognized by people. Paper has formed a habitual impression in people’s minds, but I use visual illusions to break this cognitive habit of the audience, thereby forming an entry point for multi-level thinking about the work.
What are you currently working on?
I am continuing to create and research into my ”Tools of Study” series. This series has been exhibited in solo shows at the Eli Klein Gallery in the USA, the Angoulême Paper Museum in France, and other venues since 2016. This year, I will build on this foundation to make new experiments, using textbooks as the medium and expressing through diverse methods such as installations, sculptures, and paintings.
FACTS
Name: Li Hongbo
Title: Artist
Instagram: @lihongboart
Courtesy of the artist and Eli Klein Gallery
© Li Hongbo