Inside Wonder
Inaugural Exhibition at Romulus Folio Gallery
Xinzhi Li
With Usha Newland
April 1 – May 3, 2026
Opening Night: Friday 17th April 5-7pm
Romulus Folio Gallery, 55 Gladstone Street, South Melbourne 3025
Romulus Folio Gallery presents Inside Wonder, an exhibition anchored in the work of Xinzhi Li, marking the gallery’s one-year anniversary at The Gladstone in South Melbourne.
Inside Wonder examines colour as psychological terrain, where corporeal form and interior states converge. Working primarily in oil, Li investigates the self through a dynamic interplay between fragmented anatomy and saturated chromatic fields. Synthetic violets, electric reds, ultramarines and luminous yellows construct immersive environments in which memory, sensation and embodied experience unfold.
Her works occupy a liminal space where abstraction and figuration intersect. Familiar forms surface and destabilise. Intentionally unresolved passages reflect psychological healing as an ongoing process of revelation and reconstruction. Opacity meets transparency. Interior meets exterior. Each painting operates as an auratic field that invites sustained attention.
Presented within the architectural context of The Gladstone foyer, the exhibition activates scale, light and movement as integral components of the viewing experience, reinforcing Romulus Folio Gallery’s commitment to the intersection of contemporary art, design, myth and spatial practice.
The exhibition includes a focused presentation of works by emerging resident artist Usha Newland. Positioned in dialogue with Li’s investigation of interiority and chromatic density, Newland’s works explore colour as resonance and atmospheric expansion, offering a complementary spatial register within the exhibition framework.
Gallery Hours: Wednesday–Friday 12 pm–7 pm, Saturday–Sunday 12 pm–5 pm, or by appointment
Location: Romulus Folio Gallery, The Gladstone, South Melbourne
Free entry. All welcome.
The exhibition and all events are designed to be inclusive and welcoming to all visitors.
• Wheelchair accessible
• Low-sensory / relaxed environment
• Seating available
• Accessible bathroom
You’ll find the ROMULUS Folio Gallery on the ground floor, Tower B Lobby at The Gladstone, located at 15-85 Gladstone Street, South Melbourne, 3205.