Life & Work with Ann Liu

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Liu.

Hi Ann, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m a first-generation Chinese American, so as the stereotypical story goes, for a majority of my life, I experienced the push and pull of my creative passion and talents versus the stability of corporate, capitalist America. Since I was a kid, I was obsessed with color and form, fashion, aesthetics, and design… I was the straight-A honors student always drawing or falling asleep in classes. I knew I was different but I was initially insecure about my creativity since I lacked a safe space to share and express myself. Some years of teenage rebellion pulled me into the Bay Area art scene, and I started selling and displaying my art at shows and functions. I realized to deny my art was to reject my purpose, so I threw myself into painting, graphic design, and business all while attending UC Berkeley. At 18, I founded a creative + consulting agency and established an LLC, and began organizing festivals, events, and installing art exhibitions.

I’m 23 now and for the past five years, I’ve been hustling creatively, which ultimately led me to move to LA for the abundance of opportunities. I study obsessively and live with so much freedom; I’m living and playing in my dreams and that gets me up and working every single day. In reality, there’s little I haven’t experimented with or mastered, and the diversity of my experience has developed my taste. Whether that’s crypto/NFTs, fashion, marketing or sales, I’m beyond blessed and grateful to have encountered so many artistic communities and mediums. I manage at an art gallery now, and my dream is to leverage all I can to be a dot connector, advocating for artists and facilitating access and education for all in the art world. Call me a fine art purveyor, P pusher, multi-dimensional artist, part-time model or CREATRIX, I live and breathe art in all I do.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely not been smooth, things feel pretty great now, but I think being an artist comes with an inherent universal understanding that whatever comes tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. It’s absolutely terrifying yet exhilarating, but the struggles are there to shape us up to grow and still have a heart full of love. Whether that’s hardships in career, love, grief, or mental health, sure I’ve endured a lot, but just as everyone has. Pain is universal to all of humanity and I believe it brings us closer as kin, which is why empathy is so critical.

My biggest struggles have been the lowest and darkest moments when I didn’t trust myself or lean on my ancestors or God. I probably could have prevented a lot of heartache and failure if I had listened to my gut instead of the noise or the fear and just asked for help when I needed it. Now I no longer label my experiences as suffering because I practice the law of detachment. It’s always good to grasp that pain and feel it, and laugh at it, heal it or alchemize it, let it inspire you. Find the hope and continue to show up every single day because everything is temporary.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

Really what makes me rare is that I operate on either side of the art world as an artist and a fine art purveyor. On one hand I’m working professionally in the art business, and on the other I sustain and develop myself as self-represented artist. So if you’re looking to collect art, I can help you find some curated to your taste. If you love my artwork, you can commission me or buy available work out of my studio. I’m working towards my debut solo show in 2024.

My art practice is focused on airbrush and acrylic painting with occasional mixed media. I have a BFA in Fine Art and BA Media Studies from UC Berkeley, and have been selling and exhibiting work online and IRL in the United States for 5 years. My artwork is detailed, vibrant, and sensitive. Most of it stems from a place of self-inquiry and criticism, I approach everything I do from the perspective of both muse and painter, reflecting lived experience through figuration rooted in the aesthetics and culture of today. Lately I’ve been leaning more into humor and theory in my art, particularly exploring narcissism and vulnerability in the age of surveillance capitalism.

I work professionally as a gallery assistant and manager, a role which encompasses all facets for smooth exhibitions and operations. I specialize in project coordination, artist liasonship, and creative strategy — all important responsibilities guaranteeing the maintenance and success of the business. I’m becoming a trusted tastemaker and point of connection in the LA contemporary art scene, especially for emerging artists and collectors.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I tend to come off as an ambitious hustler who doesn’t tolerate bullshit, knows what I want and gets after it. The above is absolutely true, but what people might not know is I am very sensitive and actually deal with procrastination. I have a lot of energy and vitality but when I work too hard, I also crash hard and need periods of time to completely dissociate and isolate. I love everything I do and I am very passionate about it, but I’d probably be very happy living on a farm on an island somewhere, tending to my garden, painting abstractions, and not having any contact with the world.

Pricing:

• Commissions for a painting start at $1,000 for a 18×24″ canvas. DM or email to inquire.
• Pick my brain for $100 an hour.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://annxliu.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annxliu/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annxliu/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/annxliu

Image Credits
Devon Raleigh Nikolasi Saafi Andrew Rosas