Lily Honglei

Lives and works in Queens, NY, USA

Artist statement

As a Chinese immigrant artist duo, we create artwork that reflects multicultural society, Asian immigration history, and life in the Asian immigrant community, such as Flushing Chinatown in New York, where we have resided for two decades. Our creativity encompasses painting, installation, public art, and new media. More often than not, our practice blurs the boundaries between media and disciplines, exploring approaches engaging a broad audience. After many years of studying Western art, we have rediscovered our deep roots in Eastern visual traditions in the context of industrialization, colonialism, and globalization. Our recent works take inspiration from East Asian folk arts and various decorative art forms commonly associated with Chinese American identity in Western societies. Through the lens of cultural heritage, our practice reexamines immigrant experience, constructs a mental space for renewal, and strengthens bonds within and beyond the Asian immigrant community. Our Chinese American identity and lived experience have fundamentally remade our understanding of both Eastern and Western aesthetics, civilizations, and societies. Our artistic journey epitomizes a multi-layered, multi-facet evolution as the fruit of immigration experiences. Undoubtedly, our personal path led to the central themes of our recent work. Since immigrating to the States in 2000, we have observed tragedy, pain, and resilience of the Asian immigrant community. The memories of real-life stories...

Artwork