@ Yicong Studio 2024
Yicong Li is an interdisciplinary artist and educator from Beijing, China. She is based in Chicago and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fiber from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Li's artistic vision merges influences from her diverse cultural background. She pushes the boundaries of fashion through masquerades and sculptural forms that interact with the body. She collaborates with local artists and designers and showcases her work in numerous exhibitions across the United States and Globally.
More about me
Vegetate
2024
Wearable Sculpture and Performance
The piece captures organic movement through the tactile qualities of crochet and knitting, mimicking the slow, deliberate spread of vines or the delicate, suspended state of dormancy. Wool and mohair, chosen for their warmth and resilience, enhance the tension between vitality and stasis—between expansion and retreat. The colors are carefully curated into a palette that echoes the natural world, resembling plants as they take root and spread, intertwining growth with the quiet rhythms of stillness. Whether worn or displayed, Vegetate invites the viewer to consider the fluid nature of being: when does stillness become growth, and when does growth conceal a more profound stillness?
Bound
2022
Wearable Sculpture and Performance
Much like my earlier creations, Bound transcends the mere notion of clothing. It is an ensemble of sensory experiences, seamlessly integrating attire, performance, music, and video into a cohesive narrative. To achieve the most profound impact, I collaborated with a professional performer, ensuring the presentation was both dynamic and evocative. Every other aspect of this work was personally crafted, reflecting my dedication and vision.
As my inaugural project in my graduate program, Bound serves as a preliminary sketch of the themes and ideas I intend to explore further. It is a manifestation of my ambition to blur the lines between fashion, art, and performance, creating a space where handcrafted garments become vessels of immersive storytelling. Through this work, I aim to invite audiences into a world where every thread and movement conveys a deeper connection to the art of creation and the narrative it embodies.
Bodies
2024
Wearable Sculpture and Performance
Made to Order
Witness
2023
Soft Sculpture Series | Crochet and Knitted Wool and Mohair Yarn
Inspired by the adaptive forms of deep-sea creatures and the organic growth of plants, these sculptures merge the natural world with the human body. Each piece distorts and reinterprets the face through intricate fiber techniques, challenging conventional notions of selfhood and interaction. The wool and mohair fibers balance concealment and revelation, softness and structure—mirroring the complexity of human connection.
By reshaping the face into something unfamiliar, Witness asks: Where does power reside—in the mask or in the one who wears it? How does transformation occur when identity is obscured? And what new forms of expression emerge when the boundaries between self and object dissolve?
Breeze
2023
Wool Yarn, Crochet Mask, Braids and Machine Knitted structures
Phase
2022
Wool Yarn, Crochet Mask, Braids and Machine Knitted structures
In Nuo Opera, villagers put on masks representing and acting as gods. I introduce a similar concept in my work. When models wear my masks, they are free to be anyone or anything. Nuo Opera is about communication between man and god. My work is about the communication between the self and the person to complete the exploration of their personality. Crochet is a ritual, a practice of self-exploration. My crochet work is improvisational, and every step expresses the subconscious. I use photography to locate my exploration with the people who wear my work. I created a world within my values by completing an assembly of live performances.
Watch performance here