BLANCA LI by Ruven Afanador for The Cut NYmag

For this shoot, at photographer Ruven Afanador’s insistence, Li gamely threw herself on the floor, climbed up walls and whipped her skirts as if back in Granada. “An artist is someone who feels the freedom to go over the top every day,” Li says. “Being an artist, the most important thing is not to be afraid.” Click through our slideshow to see Li in some of the season’s most dramatic black and white pieces.