Liu Ting

Liu Ting

Details
1983
Born in Jinan, Shandong

2006
Graduated from the Department of Traditional Chinese Painting at Shandong Academy of Arts

Liu Ting: Using Ink and Wash to Outline the Softness of Femininity, Exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

Born in Jinan, Shandong in 1983, Liu Ting graduated from the Department of Traditional Chinese Painting at Shandong Academy of Arts in 2006. She previously worked as an art editor for a magazine in Xi’an and currently resides in Jinan, working as a full-time artist.

Liu Ting is very lucky to have established her art language since she was quite young. Liu Ting excels in using coloured ink on rice paper to depict plump and rounded girls. In her unconventional ink strokes, they gradually take on a three-dimensional and lively appearance. These girls possess sacred white hair, exuding a lazy yet confident demeanour, dressed in simple and plain attire.

However, their inner worlds are vibrant and imaginative, filled with a myriad of colours and whimsical ideas. Liu Ting, with her gentle ink strokes, portrays the beauty of independent women in this era. The exaggerated characterisation of figures by Liu Ting evokes thoughts of Colombian art master Fernando Botero, whose subjects also possess extraordinary voluminosity, striking the audience with a surreal impact. We live in an era where female consciousness is increasingly awakening. Women have achieved more accomplishments and recognition in various aspects of society than ever before, no longer relegated to being mere appendages to men. As a female artist, Liu Ting uses traditional painting techniques to express her nuanced and unconventional awareness of female psychology and societal realities, provoking contemplation and resonance among viewers.

In 2018, Liu participated in the Blurred Boundaries China-American Artists Joint Exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Creation Statement

If I were to turn my timeline into a plane, the artwork would be about picking up those sparkling parts. It’s not about me; it’s a stage of this person, a sincere portrayal of this stage. Then, excitedly, I fill her with unknown scenes. It’s neither an escape to a comfortable place nor a portrayal that remains the same. I believe that everything should be endowed with a deeper meaning, something to immerse oneself in. When I put down the brush and return to reality, it feels like the timid me has found a companion to stand alongside in this vast world, like the dazzling light shining through the seams of clouds in the sky.

Creating art itself is a simple thing, but creating good artwork is challenging. In moments of doubt, confusion, or even anger, I tell myself, ‘Don’t be afraid! Stay calm.’ I don’t expect any specific results; I just need to keep doing it. Reflecting on the path taken before, although it is filled with pits and holes, there are also wildflowers, and there is wind. As long as you keep moving forward, there will be unexpected scenery.

About the Depiction of Women in Works

Women have always existed as objects of scrutiny in various aspects, and this ‘scrutiny’ acts like an invisible shackle, omnipresent. Therefore, I aim to look back at this scrutiny, confronting both the internal and external perspectives, hoping it can inspire a more authentic self. This image is also the closest and most touching to me, serving as a vessel of complete emotion. Each face is a true reflection of the inner self. To me, these faces are both my self-portraits and not me; they are composed of the rigid fragments of life that have been shed. They are rebellious and detached from the world, and it is precisely because of this detachment that more of the original beauty can be preserved.