Yushi Li

(b. 1991)

is a Chinese artist who produces highly staged portraits of nude white men that subvert the long history of the male gaze and the objectification and fetishization of East Asian women.

Li received her MA in photography from the Royal College of Art in London. She became known for her series “My Tinder Boys,” (2017–18) which portrays white men she met through the titular dating app in their kitchens, dining or posing au naturel. The feminist photographer also makes self-portraits, such as those in the series “Your Reservation is Confirmed” (2018), in which she presents herself alongside white men in luxury Airbnb rentals. While her images are humorous, they wrestle with gender politics and themes of desire and sexuality that allude to darker - even violent - realities.