Nerissa Mengyi Li

Lives and works in London, UK

Artist statement

Nerissa Mengyi Li is a cross-disciplinary artist working between China and London. Born in Chongqing and raised in Shenzhen, she graduated from Istituto Marangoni. Having personally witnessed Shenzhen’s hyper-speed urban development and technological transformation over recent decades—processes that traditionally might take centuries—she acutely felt the impermanence and fluidity of human connections amid rapid change. Simultaneously, her repeated returns to Chongqing brought her face-to-face with cultural heritage such as the Dazu Rock Carvings, masterpieces created across centuries by successive generations. This profound contrast between temporal experiences triggered a strong revelation, serving as a critical starting point for her artistic practice. Continuing her learning and research between China and Europe, she has collaborated with institutions such as the University of Cambridge on multiple historical art and cultural academic projects. The temporal legacies of the modern and ancient, East and West, lead her to reflect continuously: as the world transforms and technology intervenes ever more deeply in human perception, memory, and relationships, how can individuals reconnect with themselves, others, and the world to remain genuinely "human"? Employing Practice-based Research and World-building as core methodologies, Li approaches artistic creation as an ongoing inquiry into the relationship between humanity and the world. Grounded in the philosophy of the "Three...

Artwork