Art explorations
47 stories
Six Pieces I Use, Not Just Admire: Living With Xiang Li’s Empresses
A painting behind museum glass asks to be looked at. These six ask to be opened, worn, written in, tied around a shoulder, handed to a mother on a Sunday morning.
August 19, 2026 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 5 min read
From Ithaca to Imperial China: Power, Trust, and the Choices That Shape a Dynasty
Reflections inspired by Christopher Nolan’s 2026 film The Odyssey and Xiang Li’s Chinese Empresses collection.
July 28, 2026 · Fei Wu · 20 min read
A Fresh Look at Creative Hub Worcester: Rediscovering the Chinese Empresses
When Xiang Li’s original silk paintings were first installed at Creative Hub Worcester in April, they helped bring warmth, history, and color into the gallery during the Hub’s opening season.
July 17, 2026 · Fei Wu · 6 min read
Art You Can See, Smell, Make, and Wear: Our Second Multisensory Experience at Creative Hub Worcester
On Saturday June 13, 2026, we returned to Creative Hub Worcester for an afternoon that brought together original silk paintings, personal stories, hands-on creativity, fragrance, jewelry, books, and plenty of joyful experimentation.
July 17, 2026 · Fei Wu · 8 min read
Met Gala 2026 – Art, Textiles, and Storytelling on the Global Stage
Introduction Every year, the Met Gala produces spectacle. There is drama, excess, commentary, performance. But every once in a while, amidst the flash of celebrity culture, something deeper emerges.
May 10, 2026 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 7 min read
What Happens When Art Enters a Biotech Lab? Xiang Li Art at LabCentral in Kendall Square, Cambridge MA
Introduction There is something quietly beautiful about arriving at the end of something. Not at the opening, when the room is full and the energy is outward.
April 13, 2026 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 5 min read
Three Worlds, One Artform: Understanding Cloisonné
From imperial courts to global markets, a quiet reflection on how intention shapes art.
April 3, 2026 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 8 min read
How to Appreciate Chinese Calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is one of the oldest and most respected art forms in the world, yet for many people encountering it for the first time, it can feel difficult to understand.
March 17, 2026 · Fei Wu · 7 min read
Creative Sector Day at the Massachusetts State House: Art, Advocacy, and Belonging
On March 3, 2026 my partner Adam Leffert and I had the honor of representing Xiang Li’s Chinese Empresses art at Creative Sector Day, organized by MassCreative at the Massachusetts State House.
March 17, 2026 · Fei Wu · 5 min read
Art Is Love: What Bad Bunny’s Performance at the Super Bowl Halftime Show Reminded Me Of Community, Culture, and Showing Up As Ourselves
There are moments when art stops being something you visit and becomes something you feel in your body.
February 12, 2026 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
Phoenix Art Museum, Cloisonné, and a Brushstroke Through Chinese History
Introduction I didn’t expect Phoenix, Arizona to give me a deeper connection to China’s imperial past, but that’s exactly what happened.
January 23, 2026 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 6 min read
When Art Heals Too: Chinese Empresses in Acupuncture & Healing Spaces
Over the past year, something quietly beautiful has been happening with Xiang Li Art.
January 8, 2026 · Fei Wu · 3 min read
More Than a Museum: How the Davis Museum at Wellesley Teaches Us How to See
Walking into the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, I expected to see beautiful art.
December 22, 2025 · Fei Wu · 5 min read
Top 10 Favorite Holiday Gifts for the Chinese Lunar New Year 2026 (from Xiang Li Art)
Introduction The holidays are around the corner, and Lunar New Year 2026 is trotting in right behind them — literally. It’s the Year of the Horse!
November 23, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 4 min read
The Quiet Power of Scholar’s Rocks in Chinese Art: From the Sculptures of Zhan Wang to the Paintings of Xiang Li
When we admire Xiang Li’s magnificent Chinese Empresses or her calming Guanyin paintings, we’re often captivated first by the shimmering silks, jeweled headdresses, phoenix wings, and mythical creatures that sweep across the canvas.
November 4, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 4 min read
Bringing Art Into the Heart of the Community: Our New Installation at Tatnuck Bookseller
After wrapping up our exhibition at the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, we were eager to find a new home for several of Xiang Li’s empress paintings.
October 22, 2025 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
The Lost Jin Empresses Scroll: Xiang Li’s Art Reborn
The Creation of the Jin Empresses Scroll In 2017, artist Xiang Li embarked on one of the most ambitious projects of her career.
October 2, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 4 min read
Chinese Empresses Coffee Table Book: Beyond the Digital Screen, from Gallery Walls to Coffee Tables
There are times when I feel I know an artwork well. I’ve browsed the artwork online, lingered over the images, even written about them.
August 19, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 4 min read
WooBox: Empresses of the Northern Song Arrive in Downtown Worcester
If you’ve driven through downtown Worcester recently, you may have spotted something a little unexpected, a utility box wrapped in silk-inspired elegance, crowned with dragons, peacocks, and empresses.
May 28, 2025 · Fei Wu · 3 min read
Art is Love: Xiang Li Art at Holy Cross Prior Performing Arts Center
On a crisp November evening in 2024, something unforgettable unfolded in Worcester, Massachusetts.
May 20, 2025 · Fei Wu · 3 min read
How to Paint a Mural on Concrete: Tips From Our First Outdoor Project
Painting a mural on a wall is one thing. Painting one on the ground—especially on rough asphalt or concrete—is a whole different challenge.
May 19, 2025 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
One Family, One World: Painting a Message of Love and Protection at Hadwen Park
This spring, my mom Xiang Li and I packed up our brushes, some acrylic paint, and a whole lot of heart for a public art project unlike anything we’ve done before.
May 19, 2025 · Fei Wu · 3 min read
Introducing our new book “Chinese Empresses”: A Celebration of History, Art, and Womanhood
We are thrilled to announce the official release of the long-awaited “Chinese Empresses” book by Xiang Li and co-author Fei Wu.
April 13, 2025 · Fei Wu · 2 min read
From Beijing to Boston: A Mother-Daughter Journey in Art and Identity
At the recent ASIA Club Annual Meeting at the College of the Holy Cross, I had the honor of giving a talk about immigration, identity, and the creative collaboration between a mother and daughter that now spans continents and decades.
March 31, 2025 · Fei Wu · 3 min read
Xiang Li’s Reimagined Vision of the Women of the Dream of the Red Chamber – From Suffering to Transcendence of 100s of Goddesses
Art has always been a medium through which history, literature, and emotion intertwine.
March 11, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 6 min read
Xiang Li Art’s Lunar New Year Exhibit at the MFA Boston (2025)
What an incredible celebration it was at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston this Lunar New Year!
February 12, 2025 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
Lunar New Year Celebration with Xiang Li’s Chinese Empress Paintings at Worcester Art Museum
Stepping into the Medieval Chapter House at the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) on Sunday, January 26, for the museum’s Lunar New Year celebration felt like entering another world.
January 30, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 3 min read
Celebrating the Giant Pandas: A Tribute to China’s Beloved Symbol of Peace and Friendship
Introduction At Xiang Li Art, we often draw inspiration from the beauty and symbolism of Chinese heritage.
January 26, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 1 min read
Xiang Li’s Interpretive Paintings of Song Dynasty’s “Song Ren Ce Ye”
Introduction This past week, I once again had the privilege of visiting the studio of artist Xiang Li in Grafton, Massachusetts.
January 21, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 6 min read
Imperial Seals and the Empresses of China: Power, Art, and History
Imperial seals of Empresses of China. Symbolism of power and imperial authority in history through art.
January 14, 2025 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 3 min read
The Eternal Cycles of Power: Parallels Between Xiang Li Art’s Chinese Empresses and One Hundred Years of Solitude
The stories of ancient Chinese empresses have long fascinated artists, historians, and readers around the world.
December 25, 2024 · Fei Wu · 9 min read
Tracing Artistic Legacies: Qing Dynasty Artifacts at the Victoria and Albert Museum and Xiang Li’s Chinese Empresses
During my recent visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V & A) in London, a serendipitous turn of events led me to the Asian art gallery, where I found myself face-to-face with an extraordinary collection of Qing dynasty artifacts.
November 19, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 7 min read
Xiang Li Joins the Cambridge Science Festival – Exploring the Fusion of Traditional Art and Technology
On September 24, 2024, the Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch was abuzz with excitement as renowned artist Xiang Li hosted an engaging event that beautifully blended traditional Chinese art with cutting-edge AI technology.
September 27, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 4 min read
Exploring the Spectrum of Art for You: From Classical to Contemporary
Art has been an integral part of human culture for millennia, evolving and diversifying into numerous styles and movements.
September 10, 2024 · Fei Wu · 5 min read
Xiang Li’s Revolutionary Approach to Chinese Empress Portraits: Traditional, Modern, or Both?
Xiang Li, a master artist with 37 years of experience at the Forbidden City in Beijing, has crafted a unique artistic style that seamlessly blends traditional Chinese watercolor techniques with contemporary sensibilities.
September 10, 2024 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
Embracing the Future: Libraries as Hubs for Art, Technology, and Community
Libraries have long been sanctuaries for knowledge, offering a quiet refuge for study and contemplation.
August 8, 2024 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
How to Create a Successful Solo Art Exhibit for Beginners (2024)
Organizing a solo art exhibit can be an exciting yet daunting experience, especially for first-time exhibitors.
August 4, 2024 · Fei Wu · 9 min read
Xiang Li Art of Storytelling through Creative Watercolor Portraits – BJ Miller MD and Dorie Clark
In this article let’s take a look at two stunning creative portraits using watercolor on silk from Xiang Li Art – one of Dr. BJ Miller and the other of Dorie Clark.
July 30, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 7 min read
Xiang Li’s Art of Storytelling Through Creative Watercolor Portraits
My fascination with Xiang Li’s artwork began after seeing a special set of creative portraits in her studio.
July 3, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 6 min read
Chinese Empresses Paintings Collection Premieres at JMAC, Worcester MA
I am writing this blog post about Xiang Li’s Chinese Empresses collection paintings and the art show’s opening reception at JMAC (Jean McDonough Arts Center) in downtown Worcester on Friday, May 31.
June 3, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 5 min read
Studying the Cixi Portrait at the Harvard Art Museum (2024)
There is a famous portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908 Qing Dynasty) at the Harvard Art Museum in Cambridge MA. A.k.a the Cixi Portrait.
May 20, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 7 min read
The Science and Art of the Chinese Watercolor Paint: Gemstone, Mineral and Plant Colors
Did you know that traditional Chinese watercolor paints are made of gemstone, mineral and plants?
February 16, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 5 min read
A Comprehensive Guide to Mythical Creatures in Chinese Paintings
I wrote this article to help us begin to understand the meanings of several mythical creatures in Chinese paintings. All of them are used by Xiang Li commonly across all her paintings.
February 11, 2024 · Tripti Gore Chandorkar · 8 min read
Unveiling Creative Potential: Explore Grant Opportunities & Resources from the Mass Cultural Council
Welcome, fellow creators and cultural enthusiasts! Are you seeking support for your artistic endeavors or seeking to enrich your community with cultural events?
December 9, 2023 · Fei Wu · 4 min read
Learning From Chen Rong’s Ink Dragons
Li has been a big fan of Chen Rong’s artworks for decades, so she got inspired to create some of the most famous pieces: Ink Dragons.
May 27, 2023 · Fei Wu · 1 min read
Dog, cat, and guinea pig
I shared a picture with my mom Li yesterday when she was just about to finish a private art lesson. Later that evening, she shared a picture with me via a phone message.
May 13, 2023 · Fei Wu · 1 min read
Visiting James Choo’s Animegg Kingdom Studio in Hong Kong
In the summer of 2013, my mom Li and I had the opportunity to visit Hong Kong. We also finally visited our dear friend James Choo’s magical Animegg Kingdom Studio.
April 29, 2023 · Fei Wu · 1 min read