LIU YOURAN
b. 1996, Hubei

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The inspiration for Liu Youran works largely stems from the portrayal of goddess imagery and reflections on contemporary female identity. From ancient times to the present, goddess figures, brimming with vibrant vitality like nature itself, have been worshipped, mythologized, and shaped. Yet, like all deities, they are simultaneously taboo and surrounded by taboos. In the process of establishing her pictorial language, Liu Youran seeks to combine traditional Eastern aesthetics with contemporary female aesthetic characteristics, endowing her images with aesthetic value that spans greater temporal dimensions.

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She draws inspiration from elements of classic ukiyo-e prints and the charm of figures in traditional beauty portraits, integrating characters with natural environments to express the shared essence of the female body, nature, and landscapes. The portrayal of female figures in traditional gongbi painting and ukiyo-e reflects the projection of societal standards of female bodily aesthetics at the time, which is highly representative in the context of East Asian culture. The artist hopes that her personal perspective and related reflections can be conveyed through this body of work. Additionally, her surrealist-leaning pictorial language blurs the boundaries of time and space and the norms of realistic logic, enhancing the intrigue and mystique of her works while creating softer metaphorical effects.

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Liu Youran’s works frequently employ various reclining poses to depict her figures. The reclining pose is a common motif in depictions of nude women, a posture that showcases the beauty of female body lines while subtly carrying erotic undertones. From Giorgione to Titian to Manet, the image of the reclining Venus has been repeatedly reimagined—sometimes harmoniously coexisting with outdoor landscapes, other times concealed within the intimacy of a boudoir. These figures are presented as seductresses while simultaneously being objects of the gaze. The artist blends these two types of backgrounds to reveal the multifaceted identities and circumstances of the figures in her paintings.

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Liu Youran seeks to explore greater possibilities for expressing female identity within the context of contemporary society, with a focus on examining issues related to the ways women are viewed and their real- world circumstances. Through her surrealist-leaning pictorial language, she presents, in a relatively gentle manner, the conflict between women’s fundamental desire to establish an autonomous, subjective identity and the demands imposed upon them by their environment.