Hong Kong – Galerie du Monde is pleased to announce in dreams, the first solo exhibition in Hong Kong by emerging contemporary artist Crystal Liu (b. 1980, Canada), from 14 September to 29 October 2017. The exhibition will showcase 17 new abstract landscape paintings created specifically for the show that have never been shown before.

This exhibition will examine Crystal’s continued exploration into constructing landscapes as metaphors for the intangible forces that drive human beings from within. Tying intimately with her emotional states, Crystal derives the narratives of intention and desire with teetering optimism through her portrayal of the moon, stars, mountains and rocks in her paintings. The complexities of life, from hopefulness to desolation, are carefully infused into the landscapes of her work, alluding to truths from the artist’s own private life.

In her series the moon and the tides, gouache and watercolor are used to portray the beauty of nature alongside the moon. Her depictions of mountains and tides in this series all portray their subtle interrelations; for example, the closer the moon is to the mountains, the more roaring the waves are. From the painting the moon and the tides “settling in” (2017) to the moon and the tides “when you’re close” (2017), the audience can visualize how dynamic relationships between aspects of the natural world, such as the moon, the mountains and the tides, can be likened to the development of human relationships, which can be at once exciting, overwhelming and tempestuous at the beginning, then calmer as time goes on.

In the mountains series, Crystal employed the technique of handcrafted marbled paper collaging for the first time. The swirls of marbleized paint in the work echo the heritage art of Chinese ink paintings. Meanwhile, the distinct edged collage mimics the hard and enormous stones, mountains and cliffs of the natural world, providing shelter and protection, and elevating other forms, such as birch trees, closer to the moon.

Liu’s in dreams series is a set of mountain scenes depicting the reflection of the night sky shimmering off the water. Throughout the series, the reflection symbolizes the imaginary space of dreams. In the work “stay close” (2017), only the reflection of the moon is visible on the water, suggesting that the moon is nestled out of sight in the mountains. The scene projects a feeling of calmness and intimacy; the water’s turbulent tides are at bay due to the moon’s distance, yet their relationship remains intact and at its most intimate, with the water and moon appearing as one through the moon’s reflection.

This year, Galerie du Monde will also exhibit Crystal Liu’s works in China for the first time at two acclaimed contemporary art fairs, Art Shenzhen (Booth B01 and B02, 15 – 18 September 2017), and with a solo exhibition at ART021 in Shanghai (Booth P-11, 9 – 12 November 2017).

“Galerie du Monde is delighted to host Crystal’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, bringing her beautiful works to her parents’ hometown. Crystal’s works deeply touched me, not only through their aesthetic side, but also through the layers of sentiments and messages they convey”.

– Fred Scholle, Founder and Chairman of Galerie du Monde

Crystal Liu, Fred Scholle (Founder and Chairman), and Kelvin Yang (Managing Director) will be attending the opening reception on 13 September 2017, and are available for interview upon request.

About Crystal Liu

Crystal Liu (b. 1980, Toronto, Canada) received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005, specializing in New Genres, after she received an A.O.C.A.D. with Honors majoring in Photography at Ontario College of Art & Design in 2003. Her practice has developed in using a number of different materials to create characterful and detailed paintings that draw inspiration from nature and the artist’s personal experiences.

Crystal has exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Canada and is considered as an important emerging young artist. Her solo exhibitions including weighing it out (Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco, 2016); Crystal Liu (Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, 2016); i always meant to love you (Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco, 2015); Crystal Liu: with perplexity… (San Marco Gallery, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, 2015); don’t let me down (Katzman Kamen Gallery, Toronto, 2011); what sparkles… (Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco, 2011) and Crystal Liu (Collectors Contemporary, Singapore, 2009). Crystal Liu’s first Hong Kong exhibition One on One: Solo Exhibitions by Crystal Liu and Qi Yu, a duo solo exhibition at Galerie du Monde, Hong Kong, 2016.

Crystal Liu’s work is in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Progressive Art Foundation, Ohio.