This work marks Li’s first physical chair sculpture, developed from her earlier Bow digital render series. The piece reinterprets the classic school chair through an exaggerated curved back that forces the sitter to hunch forward, commenting on the physical and psychological pressure embedded in education. Drawing from China’s exam-driven school system, the sculpture reflects the discipline, endurance, and bodily strain associated with academic life.

In the early stages of the project, the artist performed a series of short actions titled Reading, in which she read while seated on the chair, and Napping, created in collaboration with the fashion brand VeniceW, during which she slept on it. These gestures evoke familiar and nostalgic school behaviours, revisiting memories shaped by the routines of learning.

The project later expanded through public participation. Li invited visitors to contribute graffiti to the desk’s surface using stationery stored in a sloth animal pencil case, transforming the work into a collective archive of school experiences. Through this process, a commentary that began with the Chinese education system broadened into a shared and universal memory of schooling.

The layered graffiti reveals confessions, humour, frustration, and nostalgia, shifting the work from an individual narrative into a communal reflection on institutional learning and the lasting impact of education on identity.