Wen Li is a multi-media artist from Waterloo, Ontario. She received BFA from the University of Waterloo and is currently pursuing MFA at Western University.
Wen's Chinese background profoundly influences her minimalism approach in her artwork. Growing up in China and trained as an engineer, she found inspiration in the liberty of chance in her art practice and the fascination with uncertainty. Intrigued by the unintentional and unpredictable forms, she incorporates these visual elements into her art through processes guided by chance and spontaneity. By simplifying the format, she purposely creates space for unpredictability and allows contingencies to emerge from our thoughts, bodies, and environments. Her engineering experience in China and fine art training in Canada have enabled her to explore cultural hybridity from a unique angle, blending multiple perspectives in her art practice. Her research at Western University focuses explicitly on cultural translation and cultural negotiation.
Education
2026 Master of Fine Art student, Western University, London, Ontario
​2022 Honours BA, Fine art: Intensive studio practice, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
1994 Master of Electronic Engineering, China
1991 Bachelor of Electronic Engineering, China
Awards and Grants
2025 FAH Chair’s Entrance Scholarship, Western University, Ontario
2024-2025 Visual Artist Project Creation Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2024-2025 Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2024 Winner in the Emerging Artist Category from the Arts Awards of Waterloo Region, Waterloo Region, Ontario
2024 Third Place Award, Fourth Annual Juried Show of Visual Arts, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario
2024 Second and Third Place Award, Press 2024, Juried Exhibition, The Button Factory Arts, Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Exhibition Assistance Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2023 First Place Award, Duality, Annual Juried Exhibition, The Button Factory Arts, Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Department Award Winner for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Fine Arts, Waterloo, Ontario
2022 Best Digital Award, Annual Juried Exhibition, The Button Factory Arts, Waterloo, Ontario
2022 Curator's Choice Award, epilogue, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
2022 Carol Hudgins Memorial Book Award, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
2021 Hamilton Artist Inc.'s Award for Distinction, Ignition 10. Hamilton, Ontario
2015 Dean’s Honours List, Faculty of Art, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
2015 Carol Hudgins Memorial Book Award, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Selected Exhibitions & Art Shows
2025 Group Exhibition, Hiding in Plain Sight/Site, Homer Watson House& Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
2025 Group Exhibition, DRAFTS 6: Mapping Diasporic Identities, Gerbel Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
2025 Solo Exhibition, Impression, Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
2025 Group Exhibition, Internal Voice, Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
2025 Group Exhibition, UNBOUND, Richmond Hill Centre For the Performing Arts, Richmond Hill, Ontario
2025 Solo Exhibition, Tangible Experience, Cambridge Centre for the Arts, Cambridge, Ontario
2024 Art on the Wall: Negotiating Cultures, Martin Luther University College, Wilfred Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario
2024 Juried Exhibition, Negotiating Cultures, Grand River Artists Collective, Kitchener, Ontario
2024 Group Exhibition, Fourth Annual Juried Show of Visual Arts, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario
2024 Waterloo Park Promenade Exhibition, Waterloo, Ontario
2024 Group Exhibition, The Ontario Miniature Print Exhibition(TOMPE2024), Tap Centre for Creativity, London, Ontario
2024 63rd Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Toronto, Ontario
2024 Solo Exhibition, Tangible Experience, Rotunda Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
2024 Group Exhibition, Press 2024, Juried Printmaking Exhibition, The Button Factory, Waterloo, Ontario
2024 Group Exhibition, Artist at Work, Homer Watson House & Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
2024 Group Exhibition, Member's Exhibition, The Button Factory, Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Group Exhibition, Collective Colours, Homer Watson House&Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
2023 Group Exhibition, Duality, Annual Juried Exhibition, The Button Factory, Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Group Exhibition, Artist in Residence Program Exhibition, Point Pelee National Park, Ontario
2023 Group Exhibition, Press 2023: Printmaking Exhibition, The Button Factory, Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Group Exhibition, Disembody, Homer Watson House&Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario
2022 Group Exhibition, Annual Juried Exhibition, The Button Factory, Waterloo, Ontario
2022 Group Exhibition: epilogue, University of Waterloo, Ontario
2022 Group Exhibition: Ignition 10, Hamilton Artist Inc. Hamilton, Ontario
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Professional Activities
2025 Presenter at UAAC-AAUC Conference 2025, York University, Toronto, Ontario
2025 Artist talk, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
2025 Interview with Promenade Community Radio Magazine, Kitchener, Ontario
2025 Artist Residency, Walking & Art, More Discussions At the Wayside, Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts, Ontario
2025 Artist in Residency, Pat the Dog, Uptown Waterloo BIA, Waterloo, Ontario
2025 Assistant Curator, Negotiating Culture, Grand River Artists Collective, Kitchener, Ontario
2024-2025 Board of Director, CAFKA - Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener and Area, Kitchener, Ontario
2024 Pochoir workshop by Elizabeth Forrest, Waterloo, Ontario
2024 Stencil Silk Screen Print workshop by Judy Major Girardin, Waterloo, Ontario
2024 Watercolour Screen Print workshop by Judy Major Girardin, Waterloo, Ontario
2024 Post degree study, Expanded Media, University of Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Cyanotype Toning workshop with Amber Lee Williams, University of Waterloo, Ontario
2023 Critique Night, Grand River Artist Collective (Previous Art$Pay), Kitchener,Ontario, Canada
2023 Tony Onley Artists' Project, Wells, BC, Canada
2023 Artist in Residence, Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada
2023 Post degree study, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
2022 Artist Talk, Online at Hamilton Artist Inc, Ontario, Canada
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