Curated by Larry Lee
Rooted in Li’s experience as an international student, Maldives is a coming-of-age tale exploring the surrogacy of love and desire, and the journey of reclaiming one’s identity. Rather than submit to these forms of erasure, Ma’er embraces the work of repairing himself on his own terms. The graphic novel frames this personal repair as a radical act of resistance against systems that demand assimilation, perfection, and silence.
Li Yao is a visual artist based in Chicago. Born in China and educated in the US, Li trained as an illustrator before venturing into fine art and technologies.
Li has exhibited in various online and offline venues including TingDAO, Altered Festival, The Wrong Biennale, Ars Electronica, and Mykonos Multimedia Festival. Li has presented work at SIGGRAPH Asia 2021, and been interviewed by the Chicago Reader. Li has designed and taught several virtual reality design curricula in various organizations including the University of Chicago and OF Course Shanghai. He received his MFA in Art and Technology Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018, and his BFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in 2016.
Meet the Artist
