Born in 1988 in Anhui Province, China, and now based in Lille, SongLin JI offers an artistic vision deeply rooted in Chinese tradition while projecting it into a contemporary perspective. After studying traditional Chinese sculpture at Shenzhen University and then at ESA Dunkerque/Tourcoing, he developed a multidisciplinary practice that questions the individual's place within social dynamics.
 

Art critic Grégoire Prangé aptly describes this duality in the artist’s work:
"While SongLin JI adopts the tools of tradition, he departs from it in both subject and approach. Irregular, each line carries its own identity, lives independently, and stands out—there is something societal in this painting, a whole that embraces plurality."
 

A Committed Artistic Approach

Marked by his years of military service, SongLin JI takes repetition and normative gestures as a starting point to explore the tensions between uniformity and individuality. His ink paintings, composed of countless juxtaposed and superimposed lines, reveal a vibrant depth, forming areas of shadow and light.
 

As Grégoire Prangé expresses:
"These works embody a reflection on the individual's place in society—each line carries life within it."
 

The exhibition Lifeline also includes a film projected onto paper, exploring the history of mining and its resonances with contemporary social structures. Blurring the boundaries between fiction and documentary, these works subtly connect experiences from both China and France.