2007 - 2009

Protection

Liu’s Protection series developed out of both large-scale Shunga paintings (see text on Shunga) and wood sculptures she made in 2006-08. In Protection, Liu painted Japanese shunga imagery and enclosed it within wood frames rimmed with nails. She then stretched taut and knotted string over the image to form a kind of protective shield. The idea for enclosing the images in this way was inspired by a trip to the Congo Liu made in 2007 as a UNICEF ambassador. There, she saw fetishes that contained relics wrapped in twine and spiked with nails, which looked violent but actually represented a source of security and healing. In Liu’s work, the nails anchor a system of protection over entwined lovers, solitary women, and relics that Liu has collected from everyday life. The strings also speak to the Japanese tradition of a wish tree, in which wishes are written on pieces of paper and tied with string to the branches of a tree or a pole, in the hope of fulfillment of that desire (see text on Velocity). The overall structure of the Protection works therefore symbolizes optimism and safety and their importance to fostering affection and compassion.

Written by Dr. Jennifer Field