WHERE THE WIND REMEMBERS | Li Mang's Latest Paintings
16–22 September 2026 | St Martin-in-the-Fields, Crypt Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London
VIP Private View: Friday 18 September, 2:00–4:00 pm · Saturday 19 September closed
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From the First Snow in Shenyang to the Light of London: Li Mang's Latest Exhibition, Where the Wind Remembers, Opens at St Martin-in-the-Fields Gallery
Thirty-four years of journeys, observation and painting from life come together beside Trafalgar Square in an encounter with memory, nature and the path home.
Where the Wind Remembers, an exhibition of the latest works by British Chinese artist Li Mang, will be held at St Martin-in-the-Fields Gallery in London from 16 to 22 September 2026. Taking as its narrative point of departure a first snowfall at the Shenyang Imperial Palace thirty-four years ago, the exhibition follows the course of the artist's life from China to Britain and onward across five continents, presenting his sustained contemplation of—and affection for—his homeland, nature, humanity and the times in which we live. Distance has not diminished his attachment to the place from which he came; instead, northern snows, the textures of rural life and an Eastern sensibility have gained new clarity within the light of other lands.
At a time when images move at ever greater speed and our attention is constantly fragmented, Li Mang continues to carry his easel into real landscapes, painting directly from life amid wind, rain, morning mist and slanting sunlight. More than forty works are on view, encompassing watercolours, oil paintings and signed limited-edition prints: from London, Venice, Paris, Jerusalem and Cappadocia to the changing seasons of China's northern countryside and the secluded courtyards and lanes enclosed by whitewashed walls and dark-tiled roofs south of the Yangtze. Sound draughtsmanship gives the paintings structure, while calligraphic lines animate their inner rhythm and washes of colour breathe through transparency, diffusion and unpainted space. Skies, water, streets and figures are transformed from observed subjects into lived experiences charged with warmth and lyricism. Precise without becoming rigid, the works unite luminous atmosphere, emotional depth and the lingering resonance of poetic imagination.
An exhibition connecting homeland and world
Li Mang began learning to paint at the age of three under the guidance of his father, the artist Li Hao. He later received seven years of systematic art education at the Affiliated High School of Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts and at the Academy itself. At nineteen, he created a work of Chinese sequential art adapted from Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities; at twenty-six, his adaptation of Journey to the West won First Prize at the National Chinese Sequential Art Awards. His early narrative training and more than three decades of painting from life on his travels find a natural correspondence in this exhibition. The discipline of traditional Chinese line drawing has profoundly shaped his visual language: line not only defines form, but also carries breath, rhythm and feeling. Joined with the space, light and immediacy of Western realism, it has evolved into his distinctive modern Romantic Realism. Whether tracing a fleeting shift of light across a wall or water, or catching the quiet eloquence of an unguarded human gesture, Li Mang gives each scene clarity of vision, emotional substance and understated narrative power.
St Martin-in-the-Fields, the setting for the exhibition, stands in Trafalgar Square as an important landmark at the confluence of London's history, public life and cultural diversity. For Li Mang, this was once a foreign place; it has long since become part of everyday life. Bringing his work back to the heart of the city allows ‘the direction from which he came’ to find a new resonance. His paintings are held in private collections around the world, yet the memory of home remains their quiet centre of gravity, giving images that cross languages and borders an enduring emotional anchor.
One of Li Mang's watercolours, depicting Trafalgar Square in London. Image courtesy of the artist.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Exhibition Details
Exhibition
Where the Wind Remembers《风记得来时的方向》
Li Mang's Latest Paintings 李芒最新画作展
Dates
16–22 September 2026
Saturday 19 September closed
VIP Private View
Friday 18 September 2026, 2:00–4:00 pm
Venue
St Martin-in-the-Fields, Crypt Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ, UK
Opening Hours
Monday–Friday 10:00 am–5:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am–5:00 pm
Saturday 19 September closed
Organiser
Mothers Bridge (MBL)
UK Charity Registration Number 1105543
Website
About the Artist
Li Mang is a professional artist who has lived in Britain for more than three decades and has maintained a lifelong commitment to painting watercolours and oils directly from life. Bringing the economy and expressive cadence of Chinese line drawing into dialogue with a Western realist sensitivity to space, light and colour, he has developed a distinctive style of modern Romantic Realism. His compositions are assured yet spacious, his lines calligraphic and his colour luminous. Faithful to the observed world while alert to its poetry, he draws emotional significance from everyday streets, passing light and fleeting human gestures. An abiding attachment to his homeland runs quietly through his travels and practice, lending warmth and humanity to work created across China, Britain and Europe. His paintings are widely held by collectors around the world.