Ariel Li is a spatial artist who explores the deep connection between space, memory, and identity. In this interview, she shares how her work reflects the hidden stories behind old objects and how spaces shape our emotions and understanding of the world. Ariel talks about how using mixed media helps her express complex feelings and how speculative design allows her to push creative boundaries. She also reflects on her project Future Archive, where she gave new life to a broken door frame and uncovered its history. Through her art, Ariel encourages us to see spaces and objects not just as things but as carriers of stories and memories.

Ariel Li is a featured artist in our book “101 Art Book: Portrait Edition .” You can explore her journey and the stories of other artists by purchasing the book here: https://shop.artstoheartsproject.com/products/the-creative-process-book

Ariel Li is a spatial artist and speculative narrator exploring the connections between space, memory, and identity. Her work examines how spatial narratives and human senses shape our understanding of physical spaces and objects. Focusing on old objects, she uncovers the rich histories and emotional connections they carry, exploring their transformation into new stories through interaction. Ariel’s practice reveals a dynamic medium bridging past and present—a living entity that embodies memory and metamorphosis. Through her art, she invites reflection on impermanence, continuity, and the untold stories within spaces and objects, fostering deeper connections with the world and ourselves.

1.  Your work explores identity, intimacy, and metaphysics. How do these themes take shape in your designs?  

It is a progressive relationship. First, we need to recognize our identity definition, which refers not only to people but also to objects. The identity of objects is the story behind them and the connection between them and users or stakeholders. After defining the identity, we will naturally have some understanding of the relationship around their identity. Relationships can be deep or shallow. The deeper the relationship, the more intimate it can be. It is a kind of communication and connection that touches the depths of the soul. In the expression of my works, I also prefer to use metaphysical ideas to explain my understanding of relationships and identities, so it is more like an exploratory and progressive process in my works.

At different spatial scales, people’s feelings are very different. I am fascinated by how people feel when they interact with different spaces.

Ariel Li

2.  How do mixed media and different materials help you express emotion through space?

Single media and materials have very powerful power. For example, we usually think that concrete is bleak, cold, and lonely, while soft fabrics give us a warm feeling. Mixing different materials and different media will become more interesting. The collision between their single power will produce something new. This is an effect of 1+1 greater than 2. Our emotions are complex, so using mixed media and composite materials can make us experience the complexity of emotions to a certain extent.

3.    What does ‘marginality and possibility’ mean to you in the context of your work?  

Marginality means conflict and contradiction, while possibility means harmony and tolerance. If anything or a phenomenon is marginal, then there must be a corresponding non-marginality, more popular, universal, or mainstream thing, which naturally forms a kind of conflict and opposition. The possibility is more futuristic and imaginative, indicating tolerance of everything that will happen. Exploring possibilities sometimes breaks through some established rules and can also stimulate people’s desire to explore.

In the expression of my works, I also prefer to use metaphysical ideas to explain my understanding of relationships and identities, so it is more like an exploratory and progressive process in my works.

Ariel Li

4.   Can you share a project that deeply resonated with you and why? 

I have a work called Future Archive, which is a sculpture composed of a series of old objects. The main body is a broken door frame. I found it in a pile of construction waste. It is very beautiful, but it is different from ordinary door frames. It is only one-third broken, but its cross section is cleanly cut and complete, and its height is very unusual, much shorter than ordinary door frames. There are beautiful tiles on its surface. It is full of stories. I am curious about where it belonged before it was demolished, who its users were, how they used it, and why they wanted to demolish it. I try to construct its story through this scattered information and, in the process, also integrate other objects with similar identities. They express the past and continue to write future stories as time passes and their status changes.

5.    You use space as a medium for storytelling—what draws you to this approach? 

First of all, I majored in interior architecture, but this does not conflict with my being an artist. I think there are many things worth exploring in the field of space. It is something with infinite possibilities. It can be as small as the inside of your backpack or as large as the city you live in. At different spatial scales, people’s feelings are very different. I am fascinated by how people feel when they interact with different spaces. We are influencing space, and space is also influencing us. Architecture is said to be a permanent sculpture, and people carry their emotions and stories by creating space. Space is also writing its own story on the scale of time. For example, a Victorian building in 1900 was inhabited by several owners or transformed into different rooms. These stories give the space an identity and create a unique and fascinating story.

Ariel Li’s work shows us that art is more than just creating—it’s about discovering the hidden stories around us. Through her thoughtful use of materials and her creative approach to space, Ariel helps us see everyday objects in a new light. Her work reminds us that even the smallest things can hold deep meaning and emotion. To learn more about Ariel, click the following links to visit her profile.

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