Jacque Liu

2008.

Artwork 16 x 16"

Framed 20.5 x 20.5"

jacqueliu.com

Artist statement:

In my work, there seems to be a desire to understand the notion of place. This began with a condition of constant travel for many years: born in Taipei, Taiwan; raised in St. Louis; two years of adulthood in Germany; six years in Detroit Area; et al. In 2008, I moved to Philadelphia and have lived here ever since, the longest residence since childhood. To understand place, my eye gravitates towards everyday architectural elements, often focusing on windows, doors, vents, staircases, chairs and abandoned houses in the vastness of a cityscape. My work, following my eye, becomes an abstraction of details within my encountered landscapes. The process is personal. I recast the imprints of my history of places, but I also re-contextualize a history of the object or site at hand. My works are purposely slow, seeking to be deliberate in its sense of engagement.

Artist bio:

Jacque Liu is a Philadelphia-based artist, arts administrator, and educator. His dedication to positive change in our neighborhoods and communities is evident in his service to the City of Philadelphia as Percent for Art Program Manager. From 2014-2020, Jacque managed all aspects of City public art commissions - working with artists, City partners, and design teams to ensure site-specific and community engaged artwork.

Jacque has also worked in philanthropic grantmaking at the Pew Center and recent teaching experience includes the Graduate Program at Moore College of Art. At the grassroots level, he is the co-founder of Takt Kunstprojektraum in Berlin, Germany and has been a member of Philadelphia artist collectives, Vox Populi and Grizzly Grizzly. He also serves on various boards and panels, including the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Alliance for Watershed Education, and the artblog.

Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Jacque received an M.F.A. from Cranbrook Academy of Art, a B.F.A. from Alfred University, and a Fulbright Scholarship at the Universität der Künste Berlin. His artwork has been widely exhibited and his projects have been reviewed in The New York Times, Newsweek, National Public Radio, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the artblog.

At the core of Jacque's approach in these varied roles is his background as an artist, applying creative problem-solving to each of these endeavors.