Photo by James Pipino Supported by Wyndham City
My story
If you travelled back in time, met me in December 2017, and told me I would become an artist. The 2017 me wouldn't believe you. I was in my mid-30s and had never, in my wildest dreams, dared to dream about becoming an artist. One afternoon in December 2017, I was in Beijing for work, and I saw a box of watercolour for sale. I bought the set and opened it. I also opened a new chapter of my life. I just didn't know that in that afternoon.
Born in China in the early 80s, I have always liked my art class. I remember an art teacher would come to my school once a month. No, we didn't have an in-school fine art teacher, and our math teacher taught our music class. I always enjoyed his visits, and I loved my art-and-craft homework.
As a child, I have many memories of going to exhibitions and seeing art with my parents. I wasn't an artist, but I knew I had always loved art. I still remember the first time I saw Van Gogh's Almond Blossom.
But I never thought I would be an artist one day.
In 2018, it was fighting clinical depression that motivated me to paint every day. In 2019, I submitted one of my first watercolour landscapes, a painting of the Werribee River, to the Wyndham Art Prize, and they selected it. I was also included in a group exhibition that year. From that moment, I called myself an artist.
Art became who I am and the purpose of my life. I create for my loved ones, for this world, and for myself. I hope my art brings peace and warmth to people's hearts.
Xiang Li is an award-winning exhibition artist, curator and registered art therapist from Wyndham, Australia. Her art practice focuses on the connection between art and us as humans: our voice, our stories and our feelings. She explores how art can connect with our spiritual needs and support better mental health. Xiang explores her creativity through painting, drawing, installation, found objects, photography, and printmaking.
Xiang was awarded the Local Emerging Artist Prize in the 2021 Wyndham Art Prize and has been a finalist for multiple art prizes across Australia since 2019.
Exhibition & Awards
AWARDS
2025 - Melbourne City Annual Art Grant
2021 - Wyndham Art Prize, Winner of Local Emerging Artist Prize
"Werribee River Book" — artwork collected by Wyndham Art Gallery (May 2021)
2021 - SBS Landscape Prize, Finalist (September 2021)
2021 - SBS Portrait Prize, Finalist (April 2021)
2019 - Australian Watercolour Muster, Fish Lane Studios, Finalist (October 2019)
2019 - Wyndham Art Prize, Finalist (April 2019)
CURATED / PROJECT EXHIBITIONS
2025 - ART YOU OK® x Peter Mac, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Sponsored by Melbourne City)
2025 - The Positive and Negative Spaces, Louise Joel Gallery
2023 - Art You OK x The Annex, Wyndham Culture Centre
2023 - The Journey To Be An Art Therapist, Corna Studio
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 — My Heritage, My Story, Library at the Dock (January–February)
2021 — Moonee Valley Sunshine, Incinerator Gallery, Flemington Library (July–January 2022)
2021 — A River Runs Through It, Incinerator Gallery, Ascot Vale Library (February–June)
2021 — Red Dust, Hunt Club Community and Art Centre, Deer Park (February–March)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 - The Positive and Negative Spaces, Louise Joel Gallery with Ariel De Ramos (August)
2024 - Bloom, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Tapestry of Culture
2023 - The Right to Breathe, Olfactory Art @ Annex Wyndham (March)
2022 - A Place Called Home, NGV art book fair x Wunder Gym x Wyndham (March)
2022 - Olfatroy World, Salon Des Wunder Gym @ Wunder Gym Salon Werribee (July)
2022 - 100 Seconds to Midnight, Forward Motion @ Wyndham Art Centre (September)
2021 - My Heritage, My Story, My Australia, Sound Archiving @ School House Studio, with Dr Barry York (April)
2021 - Cage Eggs, The Show Must Go On @ School House Studio, with Sue Maslin (May)
2021 - The Sound of Silence, Sound and Collage @ School House Studio, with Lucreccia Quintanilla (August)
2021 - Concrete Words, Make Some Noise @ School House Studio, with Kait James (November)
2021 - Waterfall, River Sunset, Prime Red 2, Red West (July–September)2021 - Soft I, Soft II, 50 x 500, Red West (February–April)
2020 - The Blue Butterflies, Talk to Hands @ School House Studio, with Daine Singer (November)
2020 - Werribee River Book, Cleaning Water @ School House Studio, with John Forrester & Dr Teresa Mackintosh (November)
2020 - Love Story, A Handful of Hen's Teeth @ School House Studio, with Tai Snaith (November)
2020 - Now You See Me, The Expanded Self @ School House Studio, with Yvette Coppersmith (September)
2020 - Olfactory World, Olfactory Art @ School House Studio, with Catherine Bell (July)
2020 - Painted Skin, Mask for Mask @ School House Studio, with the Huxley (June)
2019 - The NEW Exhibition, Wyndham City Art Gallery, Werribee (October–November)
PUBLIC ART
2023 - FestAble workshop and public art installation, Coronet Park, Flemington VIC 3031 with Georgina Humphries
ART RESIDENCY
2026 - A Journey to the West (October)
2023 - Olfactory Art, Wunder Gym Wyndham (February–March)
2020 - The Red Dust, Centre Australia (February–March)
Publication
No Shit (Group)
ISBN: 978-0-646-85564-6
Xiang at Wyndham Art Prize 2021 opening night.
Meet The Team
Sirocco Li
Honorary CEO
I am retired. I am watching and judging Mom's work from heaven.
Xiang Li
Artist
I am the only one who is working in this team. I even have to clean my team member's toilet.
Relaxing Manager
Art Director
Sox Li
I relax and make sure everyone relax with me