Today, Li Lei is one of the pioneers of Chinese abstract art, having begun the practice and cultivation of this genre of art in 1996. Since then, Li Lei has forged a way for generations of artists to follow, having successfully merged the styles of Western abstract art with the essence of Chinese culture.

Li Lei was born in Shanghai in 1965. He travelled and spent most of his young childhood in Northwest China (Qinghai and Gansu) as his parents belonged to the Army. The landscapes he discovered as a child inform many of the forms and colors in his works, as well as the solitary landscapes of Sichuan, which he has returned to often.

Li Lei currently holds the office of the Executive Director at the Shanghai Art Museum. He also serves as the vice-chairman of the Shanghai Young Artists Association and is a member of the Chinese Artists Association.  Additionally, he is the Deputy President of the Shanghai Youth Literature and Art League, serves as Vice Executive Director of Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute and sits on the Executive Council of the China Artists’ Association.

Li Lei has participated in solo exhibitions worldwide for over 20 years, in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, China; New York, USA; Frankfurt and Linz, Germany; Amsterdam, Holland; and Brussels, Belgium.

Former Public Positions
General Secretary of the Shanghai Cultural Bureau Youth League, Vice Director of the Fine Arts Section of the Mass Culture Library of Shanghai Cultural Bureau, Vice Director of the Arts Section of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture, Radio Broadcasting, and Television, Vice Executive Director of Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute

Large Artistic Projects Organized by Li Lei
1999
Initiated the Shanghai Youth Biennale as Vice President of the Organization Committee and the General Secretary
2003
Founded and organized the annual art fair ART Shanghai as the Vice President of the Organization Committee and the General Secretary
2004
Founded and organized the biennial event Shanghai Abstract Art Show as Art Director
2006
Presided over the organization of Shanghai Biennale as the member of the Organization Committee, General Secretary, and Vice Director of the Art Committee.

Publications
Shanghai Oil Painting Masters: Li Lei, published by Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House;
Contemporary Artists of China---Li Lei: Poetic Abstract, published by Hebei Education Press;
Contemporary Artists of China Today---Li Lei: the Far Away and the Serene, published by Sichuan Fine Arts Press.