What if the masterpieces lining museum walls could find their way into your portfolio—not just as inspiration but as tangible, shareable investments? Yaheng Li, ArtCenter College of Design alum and freelance art director, takes this audacious idea and runs with it. Enter “Musenia,” a visionary platform where fine art meets the stock market, democratizing ownership one share at a time. By reimagining how art is valued, bought, and shared, Yaheng has turned an ambitious passion project into a Graphis New Talent Gold-winning concept. Musenia is a bold blueprint for the future of art collecting.

By: Yaheng Li, Freelance Art Director & Former Student, ArtCenter College of Design

Musenia is an artwork trading platform that offers users the opportunity to invest in or purchase physical or digital art in the form of shares, and this idea came from stock markets. I finished this project’s research and design process, taking it from 0 to 0.5 (a beta version).

I have a deep passion for art and collecting artwork, and I enjoy visiting museums and art galleries. One day, while exploring the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, where I live, I was looking at the works of Gauguin and Matisse… then a familiar fantasy resurfaced in my mind—how wonderful and precious it would be to own even a small piece of these masterpieces or to decorate my home with them. It would be such a joy and honor to protect and pass on these remarkable treasures of human heritage to the next generations. Yet, for the vast majority of people in this world, this remains nothing more than a dream. Most people, including myself, lack the budget to own artwork with high reputations. This inspired me to devise a way to break budget limitations—by splitting ownership into shares, allowing users to become co-owners of a piece of art. Of course, when you have enough coins, you can buy the artwork out and enjoy full ownership.

Although I am certain that the majority of art lovers, like myself, cannot afford to purchase a great piece of art, I still conducted some interesting research and interviews. Interestingly, the commercial value of artworks is as widely recognized as their artistic value. For some artists, whether living or deceased, the narrative surrounding their work or even their personal lives—and sometimes even the hype—can significantly influence its recognition and value. People are often eager to participate in this thrilling form of investment.

Due to factors such as ownership, copyright, and other considerations, Musenia is currently still in the beta stage. During the development of this version, I experimented with various data visualization methods to present the value fluctuations of artworks influenced by different factors more clearly and intuitively.

I am deeply honored that this project has won a New Talent award from Graphis. Having this project acknowledged by professional judges validates its potential and gives me greater confidence to iterate and update it in the future. Of course, I must thank Professor Carolina Trigo, who guided me throughout this project. Her iterative methodology and unique feedback from a philosophical perspective have been immensely enlightening. I also want to express my gratitude to my peers at ArtCenter College of Design; the process of sharing and exchanging ideas with them has been incredibly rewarding and enjoyable.

Yaheng Li is a visual designer who comes from the most populous city of the most populous country in the world. His height and weight are both average and even his last name is the most common one. The nickname he’s created for himself is derived from the word “average.” Yaheng is the definition of average, which means he may understand so many “ordinary” people better. Fairly and objectively interpreting and expressing the needs of people, he chose and was honored to be one of these ordinary yet talented creators equipped with some special skills. During this journey, Yaheng also came to understand himself better, realizing how ordinary and unique he is at the same time. Design makes things so similar to each other yet one-of-a-kind.

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