Ode To Art in Conversation: 刘纯海 Liu Chun Hai

Ode To Art in Conversation with Chinese Painter Liu Chun Hai. Liu discusses the essence of vitality which he hopes exudes in all his works. Like many other intellectuals of his generation, Liu Chun Hai endured the harshest period of the Cultural Revolution. Unafraid to create works that boldly depart from convention, Liu Chun Hai's audacious works tell the story of a man who refuses to stay silent about the grand disaster he witnessed. Liu's works show the true identity of girls across China who were at their prime of youth, inducted into Mao's army under the false pretext of collective patriotism and forced morality during the Cultural Revolution. Visualising the hidden thoughts and emotions of an oppressed generation, Liu Chun Hai gives a voice to the inner desires of female soldiers that were trained to enforce Mao's idealism during China's notorious power struggle. Honouring them with a chance to live their lives on his canvases, he captures their burgeoning self-awareness as beautiful, intelligent women, wanton with potential and individual ambition. The abolishment of capitalism and any associated 'counter-revolutionaries' also banned the very objects featured in Liu's works such as lipstick, compact mirrors and painted nails. Liu presents a haunting portrayal of all that could have been for these promising young people.