Liu Xiaodong, artist
Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963) studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Masters of Fine Art in oil painting. Currently Liu teaches at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China. In the 1990s Liu became well-known for paintings of his friends, relatives, and daily life that reflect social problems on a wide scale. Liu’s Hometown Boy series is a combination of childhood memories and his life journey. In this series of paintings, Liu put his childhood friends onto the canvases created in 2010 in his hometown, Jincheng. For the film, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien accompanied Liu Xiaodong to Jincheng to film the interplay of past and present as seen through the eyes of the artist. The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will include the artist.