Liu Xiao Dong’s paintings force the viewer to use the fixed, stubborn gaze of the artist, face to face with seemingly live subjects. The experience might be likened to swallowing a flaming sword that might burn one’s insides. He doesn’t adorn his subjects with halos. Rather, he reveals their struggle between feelings of helplessness and unwillingness. He creates a “ real “ image of Chinese, or perhaps he creates an image of Chinese reality.
——Zhang Langlang “The Searing Sun : Liu Xiaodong’s Paintings” Back |