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Te Tuhi announced Xi Li as the recipient of the 2021 Iris Fisher Scholarship at their winter exhibition opening on Saturday 29 May 2021. Xi Li is currently completing her Master of Fine Arts at Elam School of Fine Arts. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts (Photo Media) from Whitecliffe College in 2019, where she was named Whitecliffe’s Top Student and awarded the 2019 Whitecliffe Photo Media Prize. In the same year Li was a finalist in the Eden Arts Trust Art Awards. Her work blends Eastern and Western visual imagery, capturing the fusion of macroscopic thinking and subjective perception. Recent exhibitions include Spirit Ether (2021) at Window Gallery, and Ratatouille (2020) at Audio Foundation, both in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and Free of Charge (2020) at Meanwhile in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington.

Li says, “I am very honoured to be awarded this scholarship, thanks to everyone at Te Tuhi and the Lou and Iris Fisher Charitable Trust for your affirmation and encouragement. This gave me unlimited motivation and made my confidence more unwavering. Thank you also for your support of emerging artists and for providing such precious opportunities and platforms.”

The Iris Fisher Scholarship is a national award of $5,000 to support an outstanding postgraduate student in their final year of a visual arts/fine arts course of study. Since 2007, Te Tuhi, in partnership with the Fisher family, have supported the development of emerging Aotearoa New Zealand artists with this annual award. Past recipients include Aaron Kong, Emily Parr, Quishile Charan, Christina Pataialii, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila and Erica van Zon.

The scholarship is named after Iris Fisher, a founding member of the Pakuranga Arts Society and the driving force behind the creation of the Fisher Gallery, later to become Te Tuhi. Her original bequest has fostered contemporary visual arts practice and art education. It is envisaged that these funds will be put toward fees, materials, travel or a purpose which will enable the recipient to successfully complete their final year of postgraduate study.

Congratulations to Xi Li for this achievement; we look forward to watching as her art practice continues to develop.