Meet Lisha Nie

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisha Nie and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Lisha, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
“Hold the focus” — 把握重心 For a long time, this phrase was my phone’s wallpaper.
In contemporary life, we are constantly bombarded with fragments of information, whether actively or passively. These fragments can cause us to temporarily lose our way, our goals, or our energy—the most important things of my life. When I get distracted, I recall “Hold the focus” to remind myself of what truly matters, and I work to return to my own path and energy.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was born in Chongqing, China, a city that feels like a maze of time. While I was growing up, I experienced the drastic urban transformation driven by China’s rapid development, marked by large-scale demolitions and constructions. This experience sparked my interest in change, time, growth, and decay. I was really into architecture at that time. I loved walking through the city, observing the different buildings. Back then, Chongqing had a unique landscape—a mix of ruins and high-rise buildings. Additionally, with its unusual urban layout, layering roads, bridges, and buildings, walking through the city often felt like getting lost in time.
I think the process of making art is a constant confrontation with myself, and constantly throwing myself into a vague openness. As I get closer to the open realm, it feels like I can better grasp myself.
It is not easy for a Chinese-born artist to navigate art system in United States. I started to embrace my foreignness, something that had unsettled me for years. Over time, I realized that this foreignness might be a form of vagueness I could explore.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would recommend the Noguchi Museum. It used to be the studio for Isamu Noguchi, one of my favorite aritst. It’s a place where people can hang out there for a whole day.
I would also recommend the Asia Art Archive, an art foundation and library located in Brooklyn Heights. I go there sometimes to explore artworks from Asia. The space is really nice and quiet, which helps me calm down.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I ate congee with chili oil and beancurd this morning. It was so delicious that I want to shout out to rice, to beans, to chili peppers, to the people who produced them, and to my partner who cooked them.
Shoutout to my family—they always have my back.
I appreciate anyone who creates great work that gives people power and hope. Most recently, I watched Black Box Diaries. Shoutout to Shiori Itō, who made this documentary about her sexual assault investigation in Japan. It gave me the strength to be braver about speaking out.
I also read Dance on My Own. Shoutout to Simon Wu, who wrote the book. It’s a pleasure to read about life in New York, criticism, joy, and love from an Asian perspective.
Website: www.nielisha.com
Instagram: nie.lisha
Image Credits
for my personal photo, image credits to Yuxin Zhang