Larisa Tao Liu
Visual Artist
ARTIST STATEMENT
Larisa tao Liu is a Chinese-Australian artist whose practice spans painting and sculpture. Liu’s area of investigation falls into materiality especially in terms surface, texture and form.
Liu explores materiality and its social, cultural and philosophical implications. She does not differentiate art and non-art materials, using mostly industrial materials, such as concrete, sand and cement. Her materials are open for possibilities within an experiment-based practice. She engages with the process, trusts the process, following instincts and allowing the material to speak. Methods she used include sculpting, casting and painting. By transforming the materials. She challenges the boundary between painting and sculpture, rethinking and investigating cultural identity and conveying new visions of contemporary life.
Exhibitions
2022 Infinite Senses, Puzzle Gallery, Sydney
2022 The Grad Show (Drawing exhibiton) , National Art School, Darlinghurst, NSW.
The Grad Show 2021
Biography
My story begins in China where philosophy was deeply embedded into my childhood
upbringing. At a young age, I showed a strong desire to make things by hand with
whatever I could find in the garden.
Then, almost half my lifetime ago, I came to Australia to study and slowly settled into the
Western culture. This physical distance from my birthplace allowed me to rediscover my
heritage from a now-outsider point of view and re-engage with my cultural identity. My
Chinese heritage plays a key role in my routine and philosophy, while learned Australian
values have guided me to develop a sense of independence, divergence, and nonconformity which is reflected in my visual art. Experiencing two strongly contrasting
cultural backgrounds has gifted me with a complex multifaceted worldview which shapes all aspects of my work, life, and leisure.
After completing a Master of Commerce and 4 long years of sitting stagnant in corporate finance, a gut feeling told me I should be pursuing something I truly love doing — even if it meant leaving my stable job behind. My study and experience in this industry/workplace made me think about consumerism and capitalism in a totally different way. My journey from commerce to fine arts reflects the same duality I felt between Chinese and Australian upbringings. Transitioning to Fine Arts at NAS was a crucial turning point in my career and happiness. During my study through experimentation and re-exploration with textures, I found my true passion landed in materiality and making. I believe opportunity is limitless and we should not be held back by time, tradition, nor comfort.
EDUCATION
2018 – 2022 Bachelor of Fine Art, National Art School, Sydney.
2013-2014 Master of Commerce, The University of Sydney, Sydney.
2010-2012 Bachelor of Commerce, The University of Sydney, Sydney.
Larisa tao Liu 