This exhibition “Streaks” is the 4th solo exhibition of Liu Ke and the first time of his in Beijing. The title can be understood as the control on strip patterned graphics, or just the action of control and regulation. All the exhibited works were created in 2012. Liu Ke started his “narrative” study on strips and lines from 2003 with the curving thick lines, developed to some close and detailed lines with high density in 2005, and now stays at combination of clearly-layered color lumps and logically random single-direction lines. The title of these works “staring” comes from a comparatively Quiescent dialogue relationship. The presentation of these scenes all rely on a relatively complicated spacial relations formed by simple graphics put together.Liu Ke has utilized acrylic, oil and synthetical materials and colors similar to Chinese traditional colors like golden, silver, milk-white, red and black to have accomplished a critical point of spiritual balance between layers and overlays and between breaking and balancing. The Color lump and lines, with heavy and light approach, are clearly defined. It gives out a smooth sense of machine like the building surface of industrialized society: straight lines, vertical, horizontal, crossword have become the visual experience of urban life. The natures of color materials are distinguished as existing materials, and the thickness of which also become evidence of different layers. The covered colors can still show the process by its thickness, and signs of the process have been intendedly kept in the margin area, which makes the panting acquire its dimension of space and time. These controlled graphics are also agreed with the tempo of colors and lines to make visual experience jump between details and general impressions. Now that painting is like music: with time goes on, what the audience receive is the general melody from detailed observations, with color steps and lines coping with each other, simple images demonstrating series of variations and the “narrative” style hidden in relations of artistic components being embodied to Liu Ke. According to Liu Ke, “Creating these paintings are just like practicing Zen”, “The fun of art comes from disintegrating and rebuilding game rules”, “With no limitations, let the thoughts follow the direction of language inward or outward to extend themselves”. The enlightenment from trivial and simple objects have overwhelmingly occupied almost the whole painting and have begun to express itself.
In his latest 10 years, Liu Ke’s works have been changing in his “narrative” track, no matter on the painting or subject. We can tell from his early “Listen to Wolf” series, the artist had rich and free accumulation and manipulation on his own visual memories Mawangdui fresco, folk-art totem culture, and classical visual elements of academic field from what the East-West comparative study subconsciously had produced to study on simplist point, line and plane control. Then, involved more and more in texts and archives in teaching experience, Liu Ke had turned from “representation” to how to understand “the relation between representation and abstract” and how to understand “abstract”. Liu Ke “never tends to think whether it is a representational painting or abstract painting now”, according to himself. Painting is just a kind of expression. His brave practice of big area color field and lines has replaced the low-key touches like the narrative representation similar to fresco. Close observation has become more precise demonstration and the so-called details have also been covered and shifted by different weight lines. For now, Liu Ke’s attention has extended gradually from image memory, origin of culture, privacy, sex, and monotonous stories to the generality of visual language and expressions of the dialogue space of one’s own spiritual status.
At the same time, Liu Ke’s artistic exploration as the teacher of the 5th studio of oil painting department in Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art has played an important role in local art ecology. Sabaki group and Sabaki Sapce he has been involved in are influential phenomenon of experimental art practice in Guangzhou in recent years. These are all “in-between platforms” that Liu Ke has been trying to set up between a individual and social reality and historical context based on artists’ independent creations and practices.
