Inspired by traditional Chinese paper decorations as well as a personal long-standing fascination with paper and its qualities which he acquired while working on book designs, some of Hongbo’s more intricate pieces can take months to realise as the artist carefully sculpts their forms from blocks composed of as many as 20,000 layers of paper.

''In my art, I like using subjects that we often see. Quite ordinary, quite natural {…},'' 
Li Hongbo explained in the video published earlier last year by Crane.tv.

And while some of his surreal, technically adept pieces indeed resemble more mundane, ordinary objects such as tree branches, stones, vases or flowers, while developing his works, Hongbo also looked back to his student days, recalling the times when he was frequently asked to reproduce classical sculptures such as Michelangelo’s David. These referential works, named ‘Tools of Study’, strikingly reminiscent of the well-known marble masterpieces were recently showcased at Li Hongbo’s first solo exhibition in the United States at New York’s Klein Sun Gallery {525 West 22nd Street New York, NY 10011}.  The exhibition will be on view until the 22nd of March 2014.