Liu Ye 刘野
From ArtSpeak China (ASC) Wiki
Liu Ye is Chinese painter whose work is largely inspired by childhood memories, rearranged into a different context and instantly recognizable. Liu lives and works in Beijing.
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Date & Place of Birth
Liu was born in 1964 in Beijing, China.
Education & Development
In 1984, he graduated from the School of Arts & Crafts, Beijing, going on to attend the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, from 1986-1989. Five years later, in 1994, he earned a degree from the Hochschule der Kunst Berlin and in 1998 served as Artist in Residence at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam. Finally, in 2001, he completed his formal studies with an internship at Delfina studios in London.
Liu describes the development of his style in an interview with Art Asian Newspaper: "Before going to art school and whilst I was an art student, I tried out and experimented with various styles, and explored numerous possibilities. As I went to study in Berlin, I was very much under the influence of new German Expressionism. However, I slowly realized that it was not my style, and did not reflect my personality. Also, I was quite homesick and felt a strong urge to paint something that provided a certain link with home: That is how I started to paint images relating to my childhood. I was longing for the period when I was a child, and my goal was to get away from German Expressionism, and paint in what I would call a ‘simple’ way.The rabbit-girl actually refers to Dick Bruna’s Miffy, a very popular character in Holland. As I lived in Amsterdam eight years ago, I got to know Miffy, and I immediately fell in love with her, perhaps because I recognized myself in her. Although Miffy is a rather simple character and does not seem very intelligent, she is actually extremely clever. I instantly loved her and I was quite moved by her. In all the paintings featuring Miffy, I actually portray myself. It is quite similar to Alfred Hitchcock, who appeared briefly in all the films he directed. The girl is related to the memories of my childhood, but she is also connected to my present reality."
Art
Liu's influences range from the early appropriation of Mondrian’s patterns, to the later incorporation of Miffy as a guest star visiting the regular cast of characters. One recurring allusion is to 1930s modernism, after which Liu Ye claims the light went out on great innovation in art. In this regard, we have as evidence the painting of a lonesome Miffy in the dark, communing with a Malevich square—no sweet dreams for this insomniac perplexed perhaps by what art has become. There are no sacred icons in this group—instead, there is a clear emphasis on famous beauties and the stars of children’s stories. This last group of characters is so well known that they no longer seem like figures of someone else’s imagination: indeed, we know them almost more intimately than we do the actual celebrities of today. It is this familiarity, our fondness for these characters, which is our undoing before the tempting scenarios Liu offers.[1]
Within this group of new works, the paintings of Snow White, the girl in her dancing red shoes, and the portrait of Hans Christian Andersen perhaps initially appear somewhat apart from the others. Coincidentally, in the year that people around the world celebrated the bicentennial of the Danish storyteller’s birth, Liu Ye embarked upon a series of paintings derived from Hans Christian Andersen’s great body of fairy tales, including these three. In truth, as a source of inspiration, the universe of Hans Christian Andersen brought Liu Ye full circle, straight back to the world of his childhood, one possessed of a dark, perilous secret. For, contrary to the experience of most Chinese children of his generation, and in opposition to strict cultural norms of the time, Liu Ye had been introduced to and become entirely familiar with the oeuvre of this extraordinary storyteller early in his formative years.[2]
Exhibitions
For Liu's full exhibition history, click here.
Gallery Affiliation(s)
Liu is represented by ArtChina in Hamburg, Sperone Westwater in New York, and Triumph Art Space in Beijing.
Acquisitions & Auctions
For Liu Ye's auction record, click here.
References
http://www.speronewestwater.com/cgi-bin/iowa/artists/record.html?record=123 http://www.artnet.com/artist/10616/liu-ye.html
