Li Jin (b.1958, Tianjin) is a renowned Chinese artist, celebrated as one of the leading figures in contemporary Chinese ink art. Li Jin’s work sets contemporary, playful subject matter against the backdrop of refined traditional Chinese ink techniques, creating a unique fusion of heritage and modernity. Li Jin graduated from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 1983, and his work is associated with the “New Literati” movement, where he reinterprets classical ink painting for today’s world. 

His work often features exuberant depictions of banquets, indulgence in food and drink, sensuality, communal rituals, and also candid self-portraits—sometimes marked by wit and a sense of melancholic undertone. His work is an honest portrayal of the realities and imperfections of the human body and the comedic, fleeting nature of pleasure. The “xianhuo” (aliveness) of his art has a keen sense of emotional immediacy, drawing viewers into a vivid, sometimes surreal, experience of the moment. 

Li Jin’s accolades include the Annual Ink Artist Award (2012/2013) and Artist of the Year by L’OFFICIEL Art (2014). His 2015 retrospective, The Sensory Life of the Mass: 30 Years of Li Jin, was held at Shanghai’s Long Museum. He has exhibited widely in China, the US, Europe, and Australia, and his works are held in major collections such as the National Art Museum of China, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He taught at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and continues to innovate in ink art with bold new techniques rooted in everyday life. 

Li Jin (b.1958, Tianjin) is a renowned Chinese artist, celebrated as one of the leading figures in contemporary Chinese ink art. Li Jin’s work sets contemporary, playful subject matter against the backdrop of refined traditional Chinese ink techniques, creating a unique fusion of heritage and modernity. Li Jin graduated from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 1983, and his work is associated with the “New Literati” movement, where he reinterprets classical ink painting for today’s world. 

His work often features exuberant depictions of banquets, indulgence in food and drink, sensuality, communal rituals, and also candid self-portraits—sometimes marked by wit and a sense of melancholic undertone. His work is an honest portrayal of the realities and imperfections of the human body and the comedic, fleeting nature of pleasure. The “xianhuo” (aliveness) of his art has a keen sense of emotional immediacy, drawing viewers into a vivid, sometimes surreal, experience of the moment. 

Li Jin’s accolades include the Annual Ink Artist Award (2012/2013) and Artist of the Year by L’OFFICIEL Art (2014). His 2015 retrospective, The Sensory Life of the Mass: 30 Years of Li Jin, was held at Shanghai’s Long Museum. He has exhibited widely in China, the US, Europe, and Australia, and his works are held in major collections such as the National Art Museum of China, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He taught at Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and continues to innovate in ink art with bold new techniques rooted in everyday life.