Li Yi-Fan's Uncanny Marionettes and Digital Puppetry

Li Yi-Fan, a Taiwanese artist born in 1989 who splits his time between Taipei and Amsterdam, crafts unsettling marionettes characterized by pale, uneven skin and disconcerting proportions. His artistic exploration traverses themes such as voyeurism, sexual fantasies, philosophy, memes, and computer programming, with seamless transitions among them. Occasionally, his figures emit coughs, and their visages bear a resemblance to Li himself. Initially trained in painting and later inspired by cinema, he now primarily utilizes modified game engines and digital puppetry, employing free or subscription-based software and digital assets to create art within corporate frameworks. He refers to his approach as a "workaround," a programming term for circumventing issues rather than resolving them. In an interview, Li humorously labeled himself as "probably the most boring artist," detailing his daily routine of working nine-to-five, cooking, and dedicating around 12 hours to computer activities, which he views as research into shaders and mechanics.