Landscapes of Memory No. 4

Qiming Liu approaches collective historical memory through personal experience, working with memory and imagination rather than directly reconstructing events. In his interviews, he describes a seemingly relaxed way of observing from a distance, often returning to lived experience through memory after time has passed.

Figures, symbols and dates associated with particular periods become ways of addressing the present. These condensed historical associations help him articulate his judgments about contemporary life. The suspended figures and expanses of cloud and water in his paintings convey the individual’s vulnerability in the face of larger forces.