• NUODE LI

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Artist Bio




   

A hundred years ago, Virginia Woolf wrote A Room of One's Own and said, "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." While some things have improved since then, many challenges still remain.

In this self-initiated project, I invited women audience to share a photo of their room and the story behind it. This room could be any space: the room you grew up in, a corner of your college residence, a small rented apartment in a new city, or even the first home you bought. I collected their stories and rooms and turned them into illustrations.
Monica’s Room

Monica had dreamed of becoming a journalist since she was a child, and decided in high school that she wanted to study in Hong Kong for university. She was incredibly hardworking. She would go through more than 20 test papers in one night, sometimes too tired to even write her name, so she simply used a stamp.

But unexpectedly, she came down with a fever during her final college entrance exam. Later, she reapplied for university but faced 2019 pandemic. After completing her MPhil degree, she pursued a PhD, only to realize after enrolling that her supervisor wasn’t the right fit. Courageously, she decided to quit. Now, she has returned to this room once again, pursuing her ideal path in research.

In this illustration, I put her and her younger self together through the reflection of the window, showing the time and stories happening in this room, and the past and present coexist in this space.













Xiaolu’s Room

A lot of people think renting means the place isn’t really yours. But when Xiaolu moved into her room, she made a resolute decision: to repaint the walls and thoughtfully arrange every single item in the space.

She told me: "I’ve heard so many people say that a rented house is just a temporary stop. But for me, no matter how long I stay, I’m living here every single day. And that daily experience matters more than anything. My experience of life matters more than anything else. I won’t sacrifice my daily quality of life just because this place isn’t permanent. And honestly, every corner of this room brings me comfort and joy. That’s everyday happiness."

Her words and her attitude of living really touched me. We’ve all grown up being told to "suffer now, enjoy later", and always waiting for a better tomorrow. But who knows what the future holds? If happiness is possible, why not now?

She has a huge mirror in her room, so I included a scene of her painting the wall in my illustration — capturing the way she’s making this space her own, one brushstroke at a time.









Moon’s Room

Moon is a traveller and a collector of life’s little moments. The room she’s lived in since childhood is now filled with souvenirs from her journeys: postcards, posters, and tiny toys from street shops. Every corner holds a memory, and together they reflect the richness of her inner world.

Scrolling through her daily posts, I was drawn to her travel journals, not just documenting sights and meals, but capturing true human experiences. I asked her: “What’s your most unforgettable memory from a trip?”

She told me about a small shop in Peng Chau (a small island in Hong Kong). The owner, upon hearing she loved postcards, gave her a vintage one from a flea market in Europe. She said: “Don’t mind what other people think. Don't live in someone else’s or your mother’s world. Go find your own world.”

So I painted her room as a map. Each city she visited left a trace: an old postcard, a concert ticket, a handmade toy. In her room, these little objects became landmarks. Together, they formed a map, not of geography, but of emotion, memory, and spirit.

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