Artist's Statement
I desire my journey to be a
lifetime learning and healing process. A good piece of
artwork is not only meaningful to myself but also will
render significant effect on others. Therefore, beyond
making a beautiful object with aesthetic principles, an
important part of my work is to reflect something meaningful
for the community and society. As a professional artist, I
attempt to challenge art history relevant to my interest
without totally rejecting it, and search for a way to walk
between realism and expressionism, meaningful narrative and
visual power, as well as between modernist formalism
approach and traditional master technique. I hope to
continue figurative and representational painting tradition
while expressing deeper concerns for matters significant to
the contemporary society.
Bio
Born in Helongjing Province, China, Qimin Liu received a
Teaching Certificate from Haerbin Normal University,
Bachelor of Fine Arts from Institute of Chinese Traditional
Drama, Master of Arts from Iowa State University, and Master
of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Liu
started teaching Painting and Drawing in the Visual Arts
Department of Eastern Connecticut State University in 2000
and is now an Associate Professor of Art. Since 1997, Liu
has been working on a project depicting homeless individuals
who struggle with mental and physical disabilities and
substance abuse. Over the years, Liu’s efforts to capture
the diversity and vitality of poor neighborhoods and to
continuously use his figurative paintings to discourse
meaningful contemporary art issues has won him accolades
from over 50 newspapers and magazines, including New York
Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Hartford Courant. Liu
earned an enviable record of accomplishments and presented
in more than 50 exhibits across the United States. His
exhibits include Connecticut Contemporary at Wadsworth
Atheneum, and 10 Contemporary Artists 5x2 at Allentown Art
Museum, Pennsylvania. He has won more than two dozen awards,
honors and grants, including the Asian Artist Fellowship
from the Freeman Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, and the
Artist Fellowship from the Independent Foundation,
Philadelphia. His works have been collected by numerous
institutions and private collectors over the last decade.
Web Site:
http://visions.isualum.org/winter04/liu%20gallery/index.html
