Amy Liu

Amy Liu is a painter, classical soprano, and writer in New York. Liu’s work depicts moments of people holding onto objects of desire to ease pain – the human yearning for comfort, a post-traumatic oasis. Her pictorial world is jeweled, dream-like, and highly chromatic, with a whisper of uncanniness. Liu portrays figures, landscapes, and narratives through reinterpreted classical compositions of 16th-century European art. Undulating organic curves contrast with floral patterning throughout her works; she captures a palpable sense of longing and displacement. The duality of vibrant chroma and subtle sorrow choreographs the psychological tango between a grateful sense of survival and the haunting echoes from the past. Her storytelling begins with the chapter where wounded wanderers find their reasons to go on.

Collect Bean: If you had to describe your work in only three words, what would they be? 

Amy Liu: Connected – a connection to art history, my emotional expression, and the audience. Alluring – the portrayal of deep desire in a classical manner. Elegance – a balance between chromatic, maximalist patterning and heightened softness of flesh

Collect Bean: What role does art play in society, and how does your work contribute to that?

Amy Liu: Art sparks conversation and connects people. My current body of work is my observations of the collective human experience that constantly yearns and searches for comfort, often depicting moments of people holding onto objects of desire to ease the pain. With an increasing epidemic of mental health crises, I feel progressively driven to celebrate the search for peace and joy.  

Collect Bean: Are there any recurring themes or motifs in your art, and if so, what do they represent to you?

Amy Liu: The flower is a recurring motif in my newest series. Botanical imagery has a wide range of symbolism in the history of Western painting; it symbolizes love, decay, or even death. In my recent works, the flowers represent fragility and the evanescence of joy.