In the artistic practice of Jingyi Li (1999, Beijing, China; lives and works in London), the material used in the creation of her works plays a central and structuring role, with a particular emphasis on textiles and embroidery. Drawing on her own biographical experience as a woman born in China, she employs lace as a symbolic element through which to identify and reflect upon the female condition from historical, social, and personal perspectives.
The physical act of crafting these objects—later integrated into installations or sculptural works inspired by the domestic and everyday sphere, such as cutlery, chairs, and doilies—imbues them with an intimate and private dimension, combined with a refined material delicacy.
In Obedient Objects – Chair, a wicker chair with wooden framing is positioned in the corner between two walls marked by visible traces of time. On the chair—also retro in style—sections of lace have been sewn over tears and holes in the seat and backrest, echoing the woven pattern of the wicker. This act of mending, intended to restore a worn object, becomes a metaphor for the recovery of collective memory through the arts of sewing and embroidery—skills traditionally passed down through generations of women within families and communities, now at risk of being forgotten.
The placement of the chair itself reinforces the symbolic representation of female marginality: relegated to a corner, it evokes a condition of invisibility and subordination that has long characterized—and often still characterizes—the role of women within social and familial contexts. The object thus becomes a metaphor for a silent yet essential presence, for patient and meticulous labor that is frequently taken for granted and rarely acknowledged.
The origins of the work lie in a personal experience of the artist. During a visit to the Lace Museum in Venice, Li recounts being deeply struck by archival photographs depicting women seated on simple wooden chairs, absorbed in the making of lace. In those images, the repetitiveness of the gesture and the women’s composed posture conveyed a sense of dedication and concentration. From this impression emerged the centrality of the chair within the work: it becomes an emblem of women’s labor, both a physical and symbolic site of a daily, silent practice. Lace, in turn, is transformed into a visual narrative of the female universe.

© Jingyi Li, Obedient Objects-Chair, 2025

04/03/26