Lili Xie

SAIC SHOWS 2025 GRADUATE EXHIBITIONS

Graduates

SAIC SHOWS 2025 GRADUATE EXHIBITIONS

Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Photography

Lili Xie，(b. 1993) , her multidisciplinary practice revolves around the exploration of photography, performance and ceramics, with a focus on the human body as the central theme. Influenced by personal experiences and familial dynamics, her work reflects an introspective journey of self-exploration, questioning gender roles, and examining the intricacies of identity and belonging.

Her creative language encompasses themes of intimacy, societal expectations, and the delicate balance between individual identity and communal connections. Her work has been exhibited in England, US, Italy and China.

Lili Xie - Visited Lincoln Park, I could not feel Pangpang, 2023.9.15

Visited Lincoln Park, I could not feel Pangpang, 2023.9.15, 2024, light box, backlit film, lighting, 24x34in

In 2023, I met a shaman, she could see that a white ghost dog was always around me—this spirit was my pet that had passed away. My first pet Pangpang, who came to my family when I was around five or six years old, was indeed white, though I had forgotten what she looked like. The shaman said that I can talk with my puppy. Then, I began communicating with my ghost puppy in my own way, using tarot cards and taking walks in the parks together.

penis project series II, 2024, Newspaper, 16x22in

The inspiration for the "Penis Project" comes from my reflections on family gatherings and the conversations that unfold around the dinner table. I was born into a family with traditional gender biases, where males were favored over females. I was raised with the idea of objectifying gender, with phallic worship lingering like a ghost in my father’s yearning for a son and in my mother’s sighs about how much better it would have been if I were a boy. These moments are rooted in my memories and shaped by a culture that imposes gendered expectations. The penis became a symbol of male dominance. If having a penis is such a good thing, then why can't everyone have one? That led me to imagine a world where anyone can buy a penis—a world where the more penises one wields, the more power they have. Advertising and Publication become the lens through which I shape and display this imagined world.

Visited Lincoln Park, I could not feel Pangpang, 2023.9.15, 2024, installation, paper, ceramics, dimension variable

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