| 刘诗园 | LIU SHIYUAN ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Timeline
December 1985,
I was born on Happiness Boulevard (Xingfu Dajie) in Beijing's Chongwen District, and had been naively happy until I began to think about what happiness was. It was a time when
you had to wear three pairs of thick pants in winter. I wasn't the only one whose pants fell off while running and not realizing it. Our winters are not as intolerable now, but there is
much less security in not being cold.
1993, started learning drawing and photography.
1998-2001, attended the Junior High School Department of Xu Beihong Art School.
2001, attended the High School of Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Art education at that time was not liberal, not at all. Anyone who knew the school would know that the teachers would mark the score directly on your artwork, in red
and in big letters, whether it is a good grade or a bad grade. Now, I can finally whine about that moment when I received my marked painting without being timid: hey, this is the
David I painted for three months. When I looked up at Michelangelo's David at the Statens Museum for Kunst in 2025, it was as if the red mark had appeared in the lower right
corner.
2004, switched from learning painting to design.
I've never felt like a child or an adult. It pleases me to think that this is the only thing that isn't black and white. It's hard for me to change my perspective on issues
according to my age, or to change my opinion of others based on their age. The good thing is that I don't have any age anxiety right now.
2004, I clearly remember this photo taken in an unnamed elementary school in the mountains of Shanxi, and that day on the way there I went to the dirtiest toilet with my best
friend in the world. But I can't remember how I said goodbye to these kids afterward, I just always miss them.
2005, graduated from high school and was recommended for admission to the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
2005, enrolled into the New Media Department of the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
my mom recalled that I liked skulls.
Going through photo albums, I was surprised seeing myself in a skull-patterned shirt with a wolf teeth necklace around my neck, short dyed blonde hair, a silly look–
I didn't dare to punch too many holes and studs in myself only because it hurt. Maybe it's because I've drawn so many skulls in the past that I didn't really feel anything about it.
But at that time, I didn't associate this image with death, and neither did any of my classmates. In order to observe the textural details, we used real human skulls in different states.
2007, my first video work Sunrise was made.
2009, made the performance video Evidence.
Not a documentation of a performance, nor a performance made for filming
This was the main focus of my research in the five years from 2007 to 2012. From experiencing Beijing fringe theatre productions to seeing Broadway musicals in New
York, I was deeply attracted by the idea of capturing the tension of people. Based on what I had learned, after studying video art and performance art for several years, I have
gradually got the hang of it. I didn't want my videos to be roughly processed records of live performances–all traces of pre- and post-production work erased in the pursuit of so-
called authenticity; I also didn't want to build sets and hire actors (although amateur actors were in demand at the time, the camera couldn't help them to be authentic) in order to
make a so-called “major piece”. I always believed that there must be a way to truly merge image-making with performance, and to fully, unreservedly express human emotions.
Years later, this little consideration eventually made its way into my Master’s thesis, “Uncanny Theater”.
2009, graduated with a BFA.
2009, the fact that I could only see the appearance of things did not register with me at that time. Thinking about it now, when I went to Cambodia in 2009, it was more than ten
years too early; when I went to Tibet in 2007, it was several decades too soon. These two holy places, like the pilgrimage of Europeans who travelled all over the North and the
South, are not something that can be understood by looking at them, known by googling them, and experienced by being there. Humans facing prehistory and so many taboos
that still persist, I wonder how hard those dead trees and old rocks will laugh at us when they see the crowds of people walking around.
2009, founded an experimental theater club. Made my first outdoor public experimental theatre project. I was the initiator, organizer, and executor. Before going professional, we
had to rely on camaraderie and enthusiasm for such a large-scale non-profit collaborative project.
2010, enrolled in The School of Visual Art, New York.
Looking back in my 40s, New York remains my favorite city. I was lucky enough to meet the right mentors and some true friends during my years there. Compared to
many big cities, New York is not that breakable, not that fragile. It prides itself on promoting a cosmopolitan racial diversity that other cities don't do enough of.
Too much desire, too little sea water. What I find unacceptable now happened then–I was stubbornly obsessed with this thing called uncertainty. But that was a necessary
path to becoming who I am now and eschewing who I was then. In my next life, I don't want to go down that road again. There's nothing more than some scenes along the way.
Maybe by taking the path everyone else is taking, I could end up being someone much like the person I am now.
2010, made my second outdoor public experimental theatre project. I was the initiator, organizer, and executor.
2011, switched from video art to photographic art at The School of Visual Art.
Outsider
Nowadays, people are much more aware of the dangers of alienating and distorting foreign cultures. I also begin to doubt the honesty of the so-called righteousness
of imagining unknown cultures through art, and I have grown tired of reminiscing about the past, of trying to find the answer to the question of “who am I”, as if I would be in big
trouble if I didn't find it. This year, my practice showed some changes that influenced the work that would follow in the upcoming decade.
I don’t want to be a mother of three children
Life started before I was ready. Danish children learn to cook from an early age, and many young adults manage to attract partners by cooking well. Before 2010 I had
only tried to study, not to cook. One needs a big towel when going to the beach, it was something my friends taught me, and sunbathing was also something they brought up. All
I knew was to carry my camera just in case. Without my camera, the day could be just a waste of time? Obviously, it is now possible for me to include that moment in this thimeline.
It means that that day was not wasted and even changed me.
2012, graduated from The School of Visual Art with a MFA.
2012, residency in Ohio.
2012, residency at OCAT Shenzhen.
2013, Moved to Copenhagen. It seems clear now that it was a move, but at the time I just thought I was going to stay for a while. I didn't realize it would be more than ten years.
It's like taking a test without preparing in advance, or going to Disney Land without planning the trip.
Beijing has become a destination
The word “destination” had a different meaning for me in 2012 and now in 2025, but it will always point in the direction of Beijing.
2013, first solo exhibition in Beijing. The Edge of Vision, or the Edge of the Earth. White Space Beijing gallery, Beijing, China.
Me and my materials
The images and footage that I have collected, inherited, scavenged, shot, and bought, never need me to do anything with them in a timely manner. For someone like
me, who is always six months late in responding to life as I see fit, it's a very friendly relationship. It's different from the way I used to work, going to different places with a camera
on my back. Relying on your own lens, you could capture something or nothing at all. But when I realized how interesting it was to look beyond photography and film in the realm
of image study, that interesting part became a channel for me to communicate with others.
2014, second solo exhibition in Copenhagen. Beyond The Pale, Andersen´s Contemporary. Copenhagen, Denmark.
2014, third solo exhibition in San Francisco. My Paper Knife, Local Futures, Alter-Circuit, Asian Contemporary Arts Consortium and Et al. gallery, San Francisco, US.
The Freedom of International Free People
A very important person told me that I should be an international free person when I grow up, and I kept it in mind. But I kept only the word “international”, neglecting
the meaning of being free. For a long time, the word “international” was regarded as derogatory, pertaining to a kind of hypocrisy that apparently embraces everyone and everything.
If this good word hadn't been misinterpreted and abused by politics, hadn't spawned all those “antonyms” that seem to be opposites but are in effect the same, then I would also
like to believe that human beings are one and shouldn't be divided among themselves because of their countries, races, religions, etc. Ten years later, when I personally
experienced how difficult it is to live as one's own person in a place where one does not miraculously find the light, I realized the difference between being an “internationalist” and
an “international free person”. Perhaps the so-called “international free man” can only be defined at the end of one's life. How far does a person have to go before she dares to say
that she has become completely free? At least now I have a comfortable identity that does not need to be defined, as comfortable as a hot bath.
2014-2015, made film Lost in Export.
2015, fourth solo exhibition in Beijing. Lost In Export, White Space Beijing, Beijing, China.
2015, fifth solo exhibition in Shanghai. From "Happiness" To "Whatever", Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai, China.
2015, sixth solo exhibition in Shanghai. As Simple As Clay, YUZ Museum, Shanghai, China.
2017-2018, made film Isolated Above, Connected Down.
Dear Montage
The development of filming technology, which came into being almost simultaneously with the invention of the airplane 100 years ago, has been followed relentlessly
by montage. Perhaps it is not objective enough to say this, but I have always felt that both moving and still images, from the moment they are recorded or produced, are not
immune to the abstract narrative potential that montage brings to them. Even though there were many artists in the early days who used various means to get rid of the logical or
illogical discourse formed in the viewer's mind through the use of fixed camera positions, looping without beginning or the end, etc., this unconscious process of “translation” still
goes on naturally. At least for me, it happens every time I watch anything.
2018, seventh solo exhibition in New York. Isolated Above, Connected Down, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. New York, USA.
2018, I can´t remember the name of this American sitcom I used to watch, but just one line: A little Chinese girl says to her American classmate, in a very mocking tone,
“My (long-stretched second tone) mum (fourth tone) doesn´t bake!” What can I do then? I can´t even cook my own hometown food well, let alone baking anything. That's one of
the things for which I have absolutely no talent, besides music, learning languages, memorizing names, etc. In stark contrast to the Danes, who can cook with finesse and tasteless
seasonal vegetables, I'm best at putting random things in a pot and boil them to death. Although I am supposed to despise kitchen, oven, apron, basket, loom, and other words that
confine and repress a woman, living in a place where everyone cooks for themselves every day makes satisfying your stomach a top priority.
2018, made film A Sudden Zone.
2019, eighth solo exhibition in Beijing. In Other Words, Please Be True, White Space Beijing. Beijing, China.
2019, my flight turned out to be the last flight from Beijing to Copenhagen. After that, the world closed.
We could think of ourselves as ordinary animals looking for prey every day. We don't have a lot of choices, fighting beasts, barely getting by and surviving–who loses
and who wins is a foregone conclusion long before it happens–no sharp teeth, no long, hard claws, no sharp eyes, no grandiose roar, certain defeat. What would have become of
Crusoe's character if he hadn't been able to take the guns and gunpowder from the ship? Do something with the flowers, make a fire, make a cup of coffee in the most complicated
and unnecessary way possible.
2020, ninth solo exhibition in Miami. Opaque Pollination, Frost Art Museum, Florida International University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.
2019-2020, made the film For The Photos I Didn´t Take, For The Stories I Didn´t Read.
2020, tenth solo exhibition in Hollywood. For Jord, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
Simple life is not easy
During the winter months, I am always inclined to make artworks that have to do with light. When the sun comes out, I make sure to take the time to marvel at its
beauty, and I make sure to find a way to photograph something. It's like after a few years of living on an island, suddenly finding wheat growing in the soil and kneeling down to
thank nature for the gift. Uncontrollably, when summer comes, I always learn something about agriculture and try to grow it myself.
Extreme cultivation and extreme picking has to follow nature's rules. Traditional farming methods based on the moon's cycles do not allow our hands to touch the fruit
trees. We have no part in this natural cycle; we have to steal. When the apples fall, we look for the edible ones among the rotten ones, leaving food and nutrients for the earth, so
that we can harvest more the next year.
2021, my studio became part of my living space. It didn't take long to get used to it. Because I live in the center of Copenhagen, right between the Statens Museum for Kunst and
the Natural History Museum of Denmark. I couldn’t prioritise natural landscapes, after all, and I chose to stay in the city. I can't simply celebrate the beauty of the wilderness, and
it's more important for me to be able to see and hear others.
2022, eleventh solo exhibition in Beijing. Suspended Frames, White Space Beijing, Beijing, China.
May 2022, I surprised myself by letting out a long, extraordinarily long sigh, so long that I couldn't stop. I suddenly realized that it was my first time. At that moment, I wanted to
give a hug to all the people who had let out a long sigh; we were one of a kind, and that I had finally felt what you felt. And then suddenly there was some joy.
December 2022, twelfth solo exhibition in Copenhagen. One Room, Palace Enterprise, Copenhagen, Denmark.
It was a lovely street-window-like space where passersby could see the work that reread The Little Match Girl without going in. The busy pace of the passersby was
the same 200 years ago. In our world, anyone and everyone has a relationship. Andersen would not have imagined that in 2022 I would invite audience to read the story again.
What would surprise him even more is that our world is not so different now from what it was then.
2022-2023, made the film Green Blanket Dream.
A one-woman crew. It's like having a dream, spending this time, living a stranger's life. If this event is real, in two parallel worlds, I really don't know if I have helped
him/her/it or ruined him/her/it.
2023, thirteenth solo exhibition in Beidaihe. This show was a helper, bringing me back home for the first time after 3 years of pandemic. It was very meaningful.
(double solo exhibition) Optimized Heart: David Douard/Liu Shiyuan, UCCA DUNE, Beidai He, China.
2023, wars are really not far away. It is more transparent, naked and purely barbaric than I imagined.
Sunlight is so important, but only those who don't get it can appreciate it. In the Nordic winter, the sun rewards you with some powder when it feels generous. It is the
leftovers from other neighboring countries. When June comes, it seems that we are finally lucky enough to catch the spring that others have had. Which side of the globe is the
first-hand resource at? I still want to go there in the future.
2024, fourteenth solo exhibition in Shanghai. CRISPR Whisper, Fotografiska, Shanghai, China.
2024, I started teaching my 8-year-old son to draw, and learn to be more sensitive a person.
2024, I read The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the
Coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, wherein all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he
was at last as strangely deliver'd by Pyrates. Written by Himself, a book that my good friend gave me six years ago. This book reminded me of myself. Indeed, if I had been born
in those days, I would have gone out with the ship to see the outside world, and I would have gone on an adventure too, even though my life would have been in danger, whether
by land or by sea. But when it comes to risk-taking, I'm not so sure if I'm not risk-taking now. I'm never sure what I'm betting on, but it seems to be becoming more and more visible.
2025, life seems to be more transparent and accurate. I've gotten to know myself very well, and I've developed some habits. For example, every day from Monday to Friday at
eight in the morning I will go to the Royal Botanical Gardens next to my home and take a stroll to see who is in full bloom, who can't wait, and who has given up. Whether life can
really be equaled by human assistance, or whether it is impossible to avoid the cruel survival of the fittest. There was a time, on my way home, a butterfly flew to me; I stopped at
once and just stayed there for it, and another person on their bike waiting for the green light also saw this. We looked at each other for a second and laughed.
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Studio Liu Shiyuan, All rights reserved.
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