EAST WEST represented artist Liu Lijun, creating poetic contemporary lacquer art that merges fragility and strength.

About the artist

LIU LIJUN

Liu Lijun, born in Fuzhou, Fujian province in 1992, is a rising figure in contemporary lacquer installation art. She graduated from Minzu University of China in 2015 and is now based in Fuzhou, where she continues to develop a highly personal artistic language.

Liu’s work distills abstract symbols of industrial civilization, transforming them into sculptural forms that fold space and evoke hidden layers of experience. Her practice seeks to unearth the complex relationships between the contemporary era and human emotions, resulting in works defined by tension, contrast, and contradiction.

In her recent series, Liu moves beyond the rigid surfaces of earlier works to expose fragile, wound-like edges—sensitive and vulnerable, yet resonant with inner strength. These forms are self-contained but operate like Möbius strips, where inside and outside, surface and depth, continually exchange roles in a shifting dialectic.

Her process combines a sensitivity to material with a strong conceptual drive. By embracing lacquer’s inherent tactility, luster, and depth, she creates installations that challenge the viewer’s perception of space and body, evoking collective memory and lived experience through abstract form.

Liu has presented her work in significant contemporary Chinese lacquer exhibitions and cultural forums in China and internationally, including recent projects such as Touch the Future and Dispersion: Contemporary Chinese Lacquer Art Exhibition. Her practice positions her among a new generation of artists redefining lacquer as a medium not of ornament, but of presence, vulnerability, and poetic force in the 21st century.

CATALOG
Portrait of Liu Lijun, contemporary Chinese artist specializing in lacquer installation art.
Lacquer is not a decoration—it’s a living skin that breathes, breaks, and heals.

“Through lacquer, I explore the fragile edge where strength and vulnerability meet.”

— LIU LIJUN

Group exhibition presenting original contemporary Chinese lacquer artworks and collectible design pieces.

Lacquer art, with origins in ancient China, is a nearly forgotten tradition. Some of the earliest lacquerware pieces date back to the Warring States period (403–221 B.C.). Over time, the craft spread to Japan, Korea, and other parts of Southeast Asia. Today, both the delicate handmade objects and the intricate techniques of working with natural lacquer deserve to be protected and celebrated.

Curated contemporary art show featuring exclusive, handcrafted works by emerging and established Chinese lacquer artists.