Li Hongbo was born in Jilin, China in 1974.
He earned an MFA from the Folk Art Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2002, as well as an MFA from the Experimental Art Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2010.
Trained in multiple artistic fields, from Fine Art to Folk Art, Li Hongbo is best known for his paper sculptures. He uses a long stratification process, lasting entire months, a long precision work. His works are composed of more than a thousand sheets of flexible paper that can be moved, stretched and twisted, thus creating extraordinary effects. His flexible sculptures are inspired by Chinese traditional paper decorations but often draw their subjects from the classical sculpture tradition, creating an ideal dialogue between East and West
His work has been exhibited in museums around the world including recent exhibitions “CODA Paper Art,” CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands (2015); “Stacked & Folded paper as Sculpture,” The Dennos Museum, Traverse City, MI (2014); “Li Hongbo – Out of Paper,” Kunstverein Ludwigsburg, Ludwigsburg, Germany (2013); “Confronting Anitya,” Palazzo Michiel, Venice, Italy (2013); “PaperWorks: The Art and Science of an Extraordinary Material,” Berkshire Museum, Pittsfield, MA (2013); “Hot Pot,” Brattleboro Museum, Brattleboro, VT (2013); “All our relations,” 18th Biennale of Sydney, Australia (2012); and “Start from the Horizon: Chinese Contemporary Sculpture Since 1978,” Sishang Art Museum, Beijing, China (2011). Flora Bigai Arte Contemporanea staged Hongbo's firts solo show in Italy, "A Tribute to the Classics", 2019.
Li Hongbo currently lives and works in Beijing.
