J. Jie Li

J. Jie Li is a New York-based contemporary artist with a focus on watercolor. Her works explore the human experiences of loss, life, desire, and suffering, with blips of hope cutting through. As an artist, Li has been influenced by the philosophies of Zen Buddhism, Daoism, and Schopenhauer’s vision of life. These philosophies collide with her experiences to create alluring and elusive compositions that intrigue her audiences.

Education & Training:

J. Jie Li obtained a BFA from Parsons School of Design. She transitioned from fashion design to fine art, using watercolors and mixed media to really convey her symbolic and philosophical ideas onto a layered canvas. Her ideas are influenced by a multitude of variables, including people and experiences, with philosophy being her primary influence. Her paintings reflect suffering, desire, loss, and the search for inner peace, which are core elements of the human condition that memento mori seeks to confront. Most artists tend to stick to traditional symbols like skulls or hourglasses. However, she explores mortality through emotional landscapes, philosophical depth, and visual metaphors by using fragmented forms, earth tones, and light. She conveys these messages, then opens the floor for viewers to contemplate the powerful reminder of mortality and the beauty that can emerge from confronting it.

Professional Affiliations:

J. Jie Li holds several notable professional affiliations that reflect her work as a fine artist. One being that she is a member of the reputable society, Watercolor USA Honor Society (WHS). She is also a signature member of the American Artists Professional League, an exhibiting artist at the Royal Academy of Arts and the Mall Galleries in London, and a participant in juried exhibitions such as Watercolor USA and Watercolor Artist Magazine’s Best Painting 2024. She also has an extensive background in international exhibition work, spanning museums and galleries in the United Kingdom, Spain, and across the United States.

Artist Statement:

“My work explores the fragile, complex terrain of human existence — its longing, silence, and impermanence. Drawing inspiration from Zen Buddhism, Daoist philosophy, and Schopenhauer’s vision of desire and suffering, I use watercolor and mixed media to express what cannot be spoken.

I am drawn to the quiet moment before collapse — to the weight of sorrow, the traces of memory, and the residue of unspoken truth. In my process, I merge figuration with abstraction, often incorporating ink, calligraphy, and layered washes to evoke inner weather. Each mark becomes a gesture of searching, a dialogue with the void.

Through fragmented bodies, drifting gazes, and dissolving forms, I seek not to represent the visible world, but to reveal the soul behind appearance — the silent cry within stillness. My work does not offer resolution. It invites presence. It invites the viewer to slow down, and to feel.”

– J. Jie Li

Exhibitions and Galleries:

Solo Exhibitions

2025 – Whispers Through the Veil: Reflections on the Inner Horizon, Museo de la Semana Santa de Hellin, Spain

2024 – the Appearance, La Case Negra & Bienal Internacional de Cuadete, Spain 2024 — Behind the Appearance, La Asunción Cultural Center, Albacete, Spain 2023 — Behind the Appearance, Asociación de Artistas Cadmio, Spain

2023 – Behind the Appearance, Casa de Cultura de Caudete, Spain 2022 — Behind the Appearance, Centro Cultura Gomez Tortosa, Spain

2020 – Ignited (Two-Artist Exhibition), Ormond Memorial Art Museum, Florida, USA

Group Exhibitions (Selected)

2025

Watercolor USA 2025, Spiva Arts Center, USA
Nicoleta Gallery, Berlin, Germany
38th Annual Northern National Art Competition, USA
Thomson Gallery, Zug, Switzerland
Art Expo New York 2025
Andakulova Gallery, Dubai, UAE

2024

Watercolor Now, Downing Museum, USA
RA Summer Exhibition (Shortlisted), Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
Metro Montage XXIV, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, USA
Watercolor USA 2024, Springfield Art Museum, USA
International Online Spring Exhibition, San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, USA
Yellowstone Art Auction 56″ and Exhibition, Yellowstone Art Museum, USA

2023

48th International Art Show, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, USA
LUZ Y SOMBRAS Exhibition, Pedro Cano Foundation, Spain
38th Annual NIC Art Auction, Nicolaysen Art Museum, USA
Thomson Gallery, Zug, Switzerland
Celebrating Yellowstone National Exhibition, Yellowstone Gateway Museum, USA
Nicoleta Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Cipriarte Venezia Gallery, Venezia, Italy
ArtExpo Basel, Switzerland
Watercolor USA 2023, Springfield Art Museum, USA
Museo De La Feste LUZ Y SOMBRA Muestra de Arte contemporáneo, Argemesi, Spain
Yellowstone Art Auction 55 and Exhibition, Yellowstone Art Museum, USA
44th Annual Juried Exhibition, Waterworks Art Museum, USA
Annual National Juried Exhibition, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, USA

2022

RA Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
Art Basel Weeks Miami, US
Swiss Art Expo 2022, Zürich, Switzerland
Metro Montage XXII Exhibition, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, USA
The May and June Exhibitions, Thomas Gallery and Urbanside Gallery-Zug and Zurich, Switzerland
Biennale Artbox Expo, Venice, Italy
Watercolor USA 2022, Springfield Art Museum, USA
The Art of New York: Annual Juried Art Show, Arkell Museum, USA
Spring International Juried Exhibition, San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, USA
Juried National Exhibition Color Your Dreams, WaterWorks Art Museum, USA
Yellowstone Art Auction 54, Yellowstone Art Museum, USA

2021

Summer International Juried Exhibition, San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, USA
Yellowstone Art Auction 53, Yellowstone Art Museum, USA
The Art of New York: Annual Juried Art Show, Arkell Museum, USA
Watercolor USA 2021, Springfield Art Museum, USA
34th September Competition Exhibition, Alexandria Museum of Art, USA
Metro Montage XXI Exhibition, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, USA
Annual National Juried Exhibition, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, USA

2020

Watercolor USA 2020, Springfield Art Museum, USA
Metro Montage XX Exhibition, Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, USA
Society of Women Artists 159th Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, UK
Annual National Juried Exhibition, Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, USA

2019

New English Art Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries- London, UK
250th RA Summer Exhibition (Shortlisted), Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
167 Annual Open Exhibition, Royal West England Academy, UK
32nd September Competition Exhibition, Alexandria Museum of Art, USA
London Group Open 2019, London, UK

2018

AD Art Show, Sotheby’s New York, USA
Watercolor USA 2018, Springfield Art Museum, USA
Sunny Art Prize 2018 International Juried Exhibition, Sunny Art Centre, London, UK
Wells Art Contemporary Art Awards 2018 International Juried Exhibition, UK

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