Crystal Liu

Crystal Liu transforms elements of nature—the night, stars, clouds, fleshy mountains, willow trees, blood, water, owls, octopuses, and flowers—into a lexicon of characters that enact extraordinary tales based on her private joys and sorrows. Liu's drawings can be likened to Chinese landscape painting, in which every stroke and image is layered with meaning. But she subverts the serenity of these traditional scenes with violent forces. Her choice of materials, including fabric, gold leaf, felt, and textured paper, provides a subtle balance between seduction, humor and the macabre.

Liu has exhibited in a number of galleries and institutions including Galerie Du Monde, Hong Kong, Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco, San Marco Gallery, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, Katzman Kamen Gallery, Toronto, Leo Kamen Gallery, Toronto, Weatherspoon Art Museum, North Carolina, Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara, CA, and Musee of New Langton Arts, San Francisco, among others. 

Courtesy of Hosfelt Gallery