Chao Li is a multidisciplinary artist based in Vienna.
Chao Li holds a doctorate from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria, a master’s degree from the Berlin University of the Arts in Germany and the Zurich University of the Arts in Switzerland, and a bachelor’s degree from the Academy of Fine Arts at Shanxi University in China. He is a member of the SAN PANG political art collective, the Gesellschaft bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler Österreichs (Society of Fine Artists of Austria), and the berufsverband bildender künstler*innen - bbk berlin (Professional Association of Visual Artists Berlin). Additionally, he is a member of the China Institute of Stage Design, a specially appointed artist at the Sino-Foreign Art Research Institute, and is represented by the German gallery Artinliving Spaces.
His artistic practice deeply focuses on the socio-political environment and its multifaceted impact on social structures and cultural evolution. Employing diverse mediums such as painting, sculpture, installation, video, and photography, he systematically explores the complex relationships between architecture, gender roles, power mechanisms, and control. Through the construction and presentation of his works, he not only reveals the interplay between these themes and their social contexts but also actively incorporates the audience, the exhibition space, and its surrounding environment into the artistic discourse. In doing so, he generates multi-dimensional critical reflections and spaces for contemplation. This approach elevates his works beyond mere visual experience, transforming them into profound analyses and interventions into social phenomena and power structures.
His works have been recognized with numerous prestigious international awards, including the Michelangelo International Art Prize in Italy, the Art Vue Prize Summer 2022 in Belgium, the ANföR e.V. Art Award in Germany, the One Earth Awards in India, the Honorary Award at The Fear Faire Film Festival in the United States, the Asia Young Artist Award, and the Crystal Kirin Award of China Interior Design.
He is the author of the book Obdachlosigkeit und Betteln in der Ära der Post-Globalisierung. China und Deutschland im Vergleich. His works have also been extensively featured in publications such as SUMY NONA, Albe Art Gallery Catalogue/Magazine 2021, The Yearbook of Contemporary Chinese Art, The Yearbook of Chinese Sculpture, and Sino-Foreign Art Archives, among others. And his works are held in the collections of prominent institutions and galleries, including the Copelouzos Family Art Museum in Athens, the Villa Venino Art Museum in Milan, the Kaufbeuren Art Museum in Germany, and the Tsinghua University Art Museum in China, as well as in numerous private collections worldwide.
His works have been exhibited in over a hundred exhibitions across various countries and regions. Recent notable exhibitions include: RISE (Luvi Gallery, Istanbul, 2024); Truc Troc (Kunstforum Bonn, Bonn, 2024); SHE7TER (Berlin Contemporary Art Center, Berlin, 2023); The Silent Majority (MUI Gallery, Washington, 2023); Fang Cao Di (Banshan Gallery, Tokyo, 2022); Dream/Trauma (Brücke Museum, Berlin, 2022); Ars Electronica Festival (Kepler Gardens, Linz, 2022); BLICK FANG (Kaufbeuren Art Museum, Kaufbeuren, 2022); SKYLINE 2 (Villa Venino under the Milan City Department of Culture, Milan, 2021); 1984 “mère et fils” (UAAF, Paris, 2021); Renuac (Jose Bordes Gallery, Santiago, Chile, 2021); SPEECHLESS (Albert Gallery, St. Petersburg, 2020); The 2nd National Print and Design Exhibition (Xi’an Contemporary Art Museum, Xi’an, 2020); Ink Practice: Paper Coloring (Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing, 2019); Left West Right East: The 4th China-US Outstanding Art Exhibition (Lujiazui Shanghai Tower, Shanghai, 2018); and The 4th Shanxi Youth Art Exhibition (Shanxi Art Museum, Taiyuan, 2018), among others.
Contact:
E-Mail: lichao4100@gmail.com
Instagram: lichao_art