Matthew Li was raised in Toronto, ON, and is now based in New York, NY.
Responding to the scarcity of social spaces in New York, Li sees the unexpected encounters of the everyday such as an empty can rolling down the sidewalk mimicking a strut, or two subway cars traveling side-by-side in perfect sync as absurd happenings that defy the isolating atmospheres of our city. Li then treats every project as adaptable, like a chameleon, in scale and mobility that slip themselves in and out of liminal spaces, such as public transit or rental apartments. As a result, his works often call attention to existing hegemonic structures while modifying and suggesting new imaginative social possibilities. Li also envisions architecture as the embodiment of our anatomical characteristics, resulting in its adaptation to the roles of the pedestrian through actions, such as walking, waiting, and drifting to question existing structures and re-awaken our senses in a desensitized city.
Li holds a BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art in 2022 and an MFA from The Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College in 2024.