Kawaii, 2019

Li Jin (b.1958, Tianjin, China) is the contemporary ink master who is best known for his witty and lush depictions of sensory pleasures. He draws from the tradition of Chinese literati ink painting and creates contemporary works celebrating all aspects of everyday life: food, drink, men, and women.

Li Jin was trained at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and has been a leading figure in contemporary Chinese ink art since the 1980s. He was awarded the Annual Ink Artist at the 2013 Award of Art China and was the only ink artist selected by the authoritative publication L’OFFICIEL Art in 2019. In 2015, his major survey show ‘The Sensory Life of the Mass: 30 Year of LI Jin’ was exhibited at the Long Museum in Shanghai. His works are in the collections of major institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Art Museum of China, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Seattle Art Museum, and Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Most recently, four pieces from his latest solo exhibition, To Live [It Up], curated by John McDonald at Vermilion Art, were acquired and added into the permanent collection by the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

Li Jin full bio: https://vermilionart.com.au/artist/li-jin/