Liu Xiaodong

Liu Xiaodong is a Chinese contemporary artist recognized for his contribution to a new era of Chinese realism, characterized by a departure from historical or propagandistic themes in favor of conveying deeper emotions.

Biography of Liu Xiaodong

Liu Xiaodong was born in 1963 in the small village of Jincheng in Liaoning province, China.

At the age of 17, he relocated to Beijing to pursue art studies at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He earned a BFA in oil painting in 1988 and an MFA in oil painting in 1995.

During 1998–99, he continued his studies overseas at the Academy of Fine Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain. Presently, he holds a position as a professor in the painting department at CAFA.

Liu Xiaodong's recent solo exhibitions include "Shaanbei" at Lisson Gallery in New York (2023), "Liu Xiaodong: Your Friends" at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing (2022), "Uummannaq" at Faurschou Foundation in New York (2022), "Borders" at Dallas Contemporary in Dallas (2021), "Liu Xiaodong" at Lisson Gallery in East Hampton (2020), "New England" at Massimo de Carlo in London (2020), and many more.

His work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including the Hawaii Triennial in Hawaii (2022), "Luncheon on the Grass" at Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles (2022), "Art and Peace_Role of Art for Peace in Northeast Asia" at the International Peace Center in Jeju (2020), "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" at TANK Shanghai (2019), "et Labora" at the Foundation Vincent Van Gogh in Arles (2019), among others.

Currently, Liu Xiaodong resides in Beijing, where he continues to work.

Liu Xiaodong's Art Style 

Xiaodong seeks to capture scenes that are integral to life, focusing on the everyday existence of people. By portraying moments and stories from contemporary human life with extraordinary empathy, he not only depicts the characters but also their surroundings. He paints his compositions with free, relaxed brushstrokes, adding layers of meaning.

His artistic practice addresses social issues of our time, such as migrant displacement, environmental crisis, living conditions of the less fortunate, and the repercussions of flawed politics and economic disruptions.

Through meticulously crafted compositions, he navigates the delicate balance between artifice and reality. As a prominent figure among the Chinese Neo-Realist painters emerging in the 1990s, his commitment to figurative painting represents a distinctive conceptual position within the context of contemporary art, where photographic media often take precedence.