| Born in 1982 in Chongqing, China, Liu Jia is a very highly regarded sculptor in China today. At such a young age, Liu has already been recognized as probably the best sculptor in his generation, with a solo show at the Les Abattoirs, Modern and Contemporary Museum in Toulouse, France in 2006 where over 100 pieces of his works were exhibited. He has shown in other museums in China, such as the Shenzhen Art Museum, and most recently, at the Shanghai Art Museum in 2008. Liu’s sculptures are very contemporary and playful in their forms and color, highly dramatic in their subject matter and portrayal. He uses animals and humanoid figures to express his perspective on life, which is often filled with irony. As he says, “All men are actors,” he sees life as filled with dilemma, and man’s role as always dramatic and contradicting. |  |
Connoisseur Art Gallery
Born in 1982 in Chongqing, China, Liu Jia is a very highly regarded sculptor in China today. At such a young age, Liu has already been recognized as probably the best sculptor in his generation, with a solo show at the Les Abattoirs, Modern and Contemporary Museum in Toulouse, France in 2006 where over 100 pieces of his works were exhibited. He has shown in other museums in China, such as the Shenzhen Art Museum, and most recently, at the Shanghai Art Museum in 2008.
Liu’s sculptures are very contemporary and playful in their forms and color, highly dramatic in their subject matter and portrayal. He uses animals and humanoid figures to express his perspective on life, which is often filled with irony. As he says, “All men are actors,” he sees life as filled with dilemma, and man’s role as always dramatic and contradicting. Liu’s work appears ironic on the surface but contains a deeper meaning underneath, and aims to create a sensational impact on the heart and soul of its viewers. There is no doubt about Liu’s superior technique. While technique can be honed over time, Liu’s ideas are fresh and evolving, producing creations that are unique and original. Liu’s sculptures reflect maturity in his thoughts and a conceptualization of these ideas.
In an interview published in the catalogue for Liu’s solo exhibition by the Shanghai Art Museum, Liu says that the discussion of relationships is the common ground for every piece of his works. The relationship between human beings and animals always interests him. He hopes to convert it by personating the animals and rendering man in his original status. That is how the relationship between master and object converted in his work. Liu’s works always take on absurd characters and odd relationships. In Certified Meat, for instance, a fat pig with a butcher apron is shouldering a man stamped as “certified,” while in Master of the House, a cat picked up a man by the scruff as it is often done to, and in Playtime, where a man is being taunted by a dog that appears to be the master. These animals and men are depicted in a world different from reality where this reversed relationship is impossible. Liu Jia’s work focuses on rethinking society and life, expressed in an ingenious and humorous manner.
