LI YueXuan (Laoli)

(b. 2001, China)

YueXuan has always been drawn to animals. When walking through the city, she often finds herself observing the relationships between people and their pets—the small gestures, routines, and moments of mutual attention that unfold between them. She is especially fascinated by listening to friends talk about their pets, hearing how these companions become part of their everyday life.

These observations have led her to a recurring question within her practice: while we constantly look at animals from a human perspective, how might they perceive us in return? What does a human face look like through their eyes? This curiosity often surfaces when YueXuan paints her self-portraits, particularly her studies of the eyes. In moments of reflection, she wonders what it means not only to look, but also to be looked at.

This exchange between observer and observed sits at the heart of her work. Her paintings centre on the eyes as a site where perception, self-awareness, and presence converge. Through layers of fragmented observation, memory, and intuitive mark-making, she explores how identity is shaped through acts of looking and being seen.