Liu Wei (1965 Beijing) is a prominent figure in the Cynical Realism movement that arose after 1989. One of his best-known
paintings, "New Generation" (1990), shows two children slouching in front of a large image of Mao. The boys have prematurely old
faces, symbolizing the impact that the government has on people's lives. Since the 1990s, Liu has developed a semi-abstract style
that demonstrates wide ranging influences including expressionism, Chinese calligraphy and ink-brush painting. Dogs or other animals, people,
flowers and landscape typically melt and morph into unidentifiable shapes, which reflects Liu's belief that all of
them have souls and are essentially the same. Rather than concentrating on people's alienation from and sarcasm toward
authorities, Liu's themes have also become more universal, about desire and lust, decay and decomposition, freedom and manipulation of
expression. In recent years, the Beijing painter has also branched out to do videos and performance art pieces.
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Artzine China |
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Liu Wei |
