Hometown boy goes down memory lane

The exhibition shows Liu's consistency with revolving his art around social realities, the growth of individuals and life's changes. Compared with the Hometown Boy exhibition, which focused on collective experiences, the paintings now on display examine the state of mind of the specific individuals closest to Liu.

"Nowadays, the life of an individual has become more important, and a person's experiences are too distinctive to be replaced," Liu says.

Making portraits is his commitment to preserving those unique experiences and paying respect to every single life.

"Portraiture is a very old genre (of fine arts). It is quite risky, and rather hard, to make portraits in the diversified world of art today," Liu says. "But I do believe portraits are durable. Making portraits is the process of looking into one's inner life, and to explore the relation between the painter and the subject."