Liu Ye

Art Brokerage: Liu Ye Chinese Artist: b. 1964. Painter Liu Ye (Chinese, b.1964) is part of a generation of artists that grew up during the Cultural Revolution and were visually affected by the kitsch aesthetic of propagandistic art. His political and cultural background led him to create seemingly childlike or naïve worlds full of fantasies and fairy tales; however, Ye contrasts his lighthearted style with imagery alluding to global catastrophes. After studying at the School of Arts and Crafts and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in his hometown Beijing between 1984 and 1989, Ye received a degree from University of Fine Arts in Berlin in 1994. He later attended two artist-in-residence programs at the Rijksacademie in Amsterdam and the Delfina Studios in London. In recent years, Ye has developed an interest in the work of Piet Mondrian (Dutch, 1872–1944, particularly the modernist painter's late period. Ye's compositions are subsequently based on the form of the square, contrasting with the seemingly playful ethos of his works; he is interested in combining rational thought with the sensitivity and emotionality of fairy tales, a synthesis further understood as link between Western and Eastern philosophy. His work has received great acclaim at several international exhibitions; including the 7th Shanghai Biennale in 2008 and the exhibition China - Facing Reality at the Museum for Modern Art in Vienna.