I used to intern at the Byron Cohen Gallery and Hung Liu was one of their featured artists. Her work really spoke my heritage and my aesthetic inclinations. Even today I find myself reminiscing about her work every now and then.
She started her education and artistic career in China and then came to America. Her pieces are simple portraits enhanced by thematic adornments. I really like the historical feel to some of her pieces, especially in contrast to her bright and joyous use of color. Her paintings and tapestry are superb but the multi-layer lacquer pieces are my absolute favorite. Many of them feature large areas or even backgrounds of glittering gold and the multiple layers of lacquer give them incredible depth.
Hung Liu’s many subjects are diverse and have been taken from photographs or even tomb murals of historical Chinese royalty. They evoke a feeling of age that balances her abstract style. Then she has more traditional paintings featuring a mixture of modern figures and features which seem to be her window into China today. They don’t have specific themes or messages but just evoke certain emotions. The emotions while viewing her pieces is real. All her pieces have a fairy tale elegance and ambiance about them.
The Photos below do not do it justice and were all collected from google.
There will be a show in KC for her at the Sherry Leedy Contempory Gallery in memory of Byron Cohen. It will open Sept 5th at First Fridays and run until October 31st.
Cures for Curiosity 