is called "Richter scale" and its INCREDIBLE. Some of the MFA and BFA students went to Art Basel Art Show in Miami December 4-7 2010. We got to meet Bernice Steinbaum herself. She's an older woman dedicated to the art collecting business for many many years. Shes a Jewish woman from New York and greeted us with mallard duck slippers on her feet. She's passionate and so in tune with the Fine Art world and showed us around the gallery with such love for all the pieces she's collected. Hung Lui is the showcasing artist in the downstairs of the gallery and WOW they are so moving. They are massive and if I could estimate, I would guess some are triptych or diptychs 20 feet long.
'Asparas- White' (2009Bernice told us that when she's overwhelmed with her life, she looks at this painting of an old woman who has lost everything. Her daughter's been raped, her grandchildren have been killed, her land's been taken. And Bernice knows life isn't all that bad. This piece is moving to say the least. It's probably 7'x7'
But other images suggest the raw wounds of natural disaster, with an elderly woman crying aloud and a toddler pressing a surgical mask to her face: two images with similar titles Asparas (White and Black). Liu effortlessly balances life and death, yin and yang, hope and despair with her works without resorting to melodrama or overindulgence in hysterical gore.
"Richter Scale" succeeds in its storytelling, with a fresh and pertinent narrative, while maintaining a sincere dedication to viewing beautiful objects. Since when did modern art become beautiful to look at again? Many would think that the jarring, aggressive nature of contemporary art (a la Damien Hirst or Anselm Kiefer, for example) would be the "right" way to regard the darkness of the human condition. Liu reminds us that being aware doesn't mean having our minds (or our stomachs) continuously attacked.
I love the use of light in this one and the side painting to the left. The circle is a symbol she uses often
No comments:
Post a Comment