Kathy Liu is a Sydney-based painter whose work I first encountered in Belle Magazine - she was among my cohort of National Emerging Art Prize finalists last year and got the honour of a full page feature leading into spread revealing other finalists' work. I've taken to following the life and times of my fellow 2023 finalists as if we are a bunch of classmates; I like seeing how they're doing. In Kathy's case, very well - her gentle, dreamlike paintings that feel like what a synesthete would see when listening to a beloved piece of music - were recently on show in a solo exhibition at Michael Reid Murrurundi.
Kathy Liu's painting 'At the Circus Night' (detail), in Belle Magazine as a NEAP 2023 finalist.
Kathy is praised for "... paintings [that] bewitched with their ethereal, gossamer clouds of colour that gestured towards hazy memories or half-remembered dreams," as Michael Reid Murrurundi poetically puts it. It's lovely to see the soft, hazy vibrancy of her work coming to life in fresh new ways in her recent body of work that was on show this month.
Kathy Liu. Photo: supplied
Kathy Liu is the 30th in my series of creatives to take five questions.
When my creative process is stuck, I reach for... time. :)
The weirdest thing about being a creative human is... a kind of thing that I cannot use words to describe, like a kind of “secret” that I know but am not able to tell…
The most unusual object in my house is... a skeleton named Jack.
I celebrate my achievements by... perhaps having some yummy dinner.
Something in the world that already exists that I wish I had created is... Ancient Greek sculptures.
Find out more about Kathy Liu via her website: Kathy Hui Liu – Artist (kathyliuart.com.au). Artwork from Kathy's 'Moon Phases' show can be viewed and acquired through Michael Reid Murrurundi: Moon Phases - Michael Reid Murrurundi. Follow Kathy on Instagram: Kathy Liu (@kathyhuiliu) • Instagram photos and videos.