ALEXA EUNJI LI
Silent Portraits : The human figure
In Silent Portraits: The Human Figure, the human form becomes more than an outward depiction of appearance; it is rendered as a vessel of memory, emotion, and unspoken presence. These works move beyond the literal portrait to investigate the quiet spaces of identity—those moments of stillness where one’s inner world reveals itself without words.
The figures are not defined by precise likeness but by the traces of lived experience: gestures that suggest vulnerability, colors that embody resonance, and layered surfaces that mirror the complexity of the self. In their silence, the portraits speak more deeply, inviting viewers to encounter the fragility and resilience that coexist within the human condition.
Rather than presenting individuals as singular subjects, the series positions each figure as both self and other—a reflection of the universal in the personal. Through these portraits, the work seeks to capture the paradox of humanity: the tension between solitude and connection, absence and presence, silence and expression.
Oneday i will
Mixed Media, 63" x 49" x 0.75" (2003)
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Am I going to be ok ?
Acrylic paint, digital works (2004)
63' x 90' x 0.75'
Tiny wing
Mixed media, 14' x 21' x 0.75', (2024)
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Lost visualizes the state of human disorientation, absence, and inner turmoil. The figure at the center of the composition is seen only from behind, embodying anonymity and isolation. Rendered in red hues, the body conveys a tension of unstable emotions, while the dark mass rising above suggests chaos, suppressed consciousness, or the overwhelming weight of uncertainty.
The surrounding reeds symbolize both fragility and disconnection from the external world, while the stark contrasts of color emphasize the distance between the inner self and its environment. Rather than presenting a literal portrait, the work transforms feelings of loss into a visual language of color and symbolic form.
Ultimately, Lost functions as both portrait and psychological self-portrait. It does not merely depict an individual adrift, but speaks to the universal human experience of disorientation and grief, inviting viewers to reflect on the shadows of loss and the fragile condition of existence.
Dance of Anxiety visualizes the state of unease and tension within the human psyche, rendered as a scene both dynamic and still. The deep, saturated blue that dominates the composition evokes an atmosphere of abyssal depth, while the partial human form emerges in fragments of light and shadow. This interplay suggests the elusive nature of anxiety—never fully visible, yet constantly enveloping both body and consciousness.
The figure does not appear as a fixed form but as a distorted and blurred presence, embodying a self unsettled and in flux. Through its ambiguous contours, the body becomes a medium through which anxiety finds rhythm, movement, and expression—transformed here into a dance.
Ultimately, Dance of Anxiety captures the abstract and symbolic process by which inner unrest manifests outwardly. The oscillation between tension and release, darkness and light, draws viewers into a direct encounter with a universal emotion, urging reflection on the fragile and uncertain condition of human existence.
Empower
Growth
Envious explores the duality of human emotion through the subtle interplay of gaze and symbol. The figure, rendered in a poised yet distant manner, turns her eyes toward the viewer with a look that conveys both desire and restraint. The butterfly resting upon her shoulder embodies freedom and transformation, while simultaneously evoking the fleeting, fragile nature of emotion.
Illuminated against the dark background, the vibrant orange wings of the butterfly reveal an inner spark—an unspoken tension between outer beauty and inner unrest. Through this juxtaposition, the artist captures the ambivalence of envy: a feeling at once born of admiration and shadowed by longing, both luminous and corrosive.
Ultimately, Envy functions as both portrait and psychological landscape. The subject’s gaze and the butterfly’s wings act as visual metaphors, inviting viewers to reflect on the delicate and often contradictory layers of human emotion when confronted with the brilliance of another.
The Quiet Bloom
Digital media, 12" x 12" x 0.75", 2025
In the stillness beneath the surface, emotions bloom in place of breath. The figure floats between silence and life, while the flowers speak without words.
The Garden Beneath
Digital media, 12" x 12" x 0.75", 2025
In the stillness beneath the surface, emotions bloom in place of breath. The figure floats between silence and life, while the flowers speak without words.
