Art News

Established Chinese Contemporary Artist Liu Hong's Interview

WHY DO YOU USE WOMEN AS THE

MAIN SUBJECTS IN YOUR PIECES?

My interest in featuring women actually

comes from wanting to capture the effects

of consumerism and changing moral

values in modern Chinese society. How

these influences affect the survival instincts

of women today.

 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STORIES

THE WOMEN IN YOUR WORKS TELL?

It must be stories about modern women,

and they show that women now no longer

embrace the disciplined and down-to-

earth image that was prevalent in the

seventies. Instead, the women in my

pieces show a shift in imagery, featuring

them as decadent, beautiful and sexual

objects. I wanted to capture these aspects

of a modern woman, through deliberate

pursuit and overt sexualising of their lips

for example.

 

DO YOU THINK THE FACT THAT YOU

ARE A WOMAN ALLOWS YOU A

BETTER INTERPRETATION OF THE

FEMALE FORM, COMPARED TO

OTHER MALE ARTISTS?

 

It’s difficult to say, because to compare

my interpretation of the female form with

other male artists in terms of gender

would not be fair. Gender should not be

an issue in art as artistic talent should

transcend sexes. Instead, I would like to

be considered as an individual in terms of

my style, instead of being categorised by

my gender.

 

HOWEVER, YOU DO AGREE THAT YOU

ARE ONE OF THE FEW ESTABLISHED

ARTISTS IN CHINA WHO ARE WOMEN.

Yes, women are apparently a minority

in the art scene. I think it’s because in

China, women still have obvious duties

they are required to perform, be it societal,

biological or familial. In many situations,

these can become social constructs or

limitations, making gender equality very

difficult to achieve.

 

WHAT WAS IT LIKE GROWING UP IN

SHANXI, CHINA?

Shanxi was merely my place of birth, my

family moved to Beijing when I was two.

My mother studied medicine while my

father was assigned to the Beijing Navy

Division. Later on, their vocations took us

to Chongqing when I was in Junior High,

and that’s when I relocated and became

Sichuanese as well.

 

WHEN DID YOU REALISE YOU HAD A

TALENT FOR ART?

It must be when I copied a human portrait

from a book cover while I was in Junior

High, my father was astonished at the

extreme likeness of my drawing to the

original. He was the one who recognized

my talent and supported me in going for

formal training. I was fortunate to have

parents that were very supportive of my

passion.

 

NOW THAT YOU ARE A MOTHER, AND

HAVE A DAUGHTER OF YOUR OWN,

DO YOU HOPE FOR HER TO BECOME

AN ARTIST AS WELL?

I guess it could be partly because of my

genes, backed by lots of family support

and encouragement, but yes, my daughter

has been interested in art since she was

a child. Recently, she has also expressed

great interest in working in the arts, and is

currently pursuing studies in oil painting at

the Central Art Institute.