Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Liu-Wong.
Kristen, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born and raised in San Francisco by my mom and grandmother with one older sister. My mom is an elementary art school teacher so funds were always tight but she took us to free museum days and the library so I was lucky in that way. When I was 17, I left home to go to Brooklyn, where I majored in Illustration at Pratt Institute.
I graduated in 2013 and had a job as a printmaking studio assistant and I would make work at nights and on weekends. After living for 2 years post graduation in BK, I was ready for a change and decided to move out to LA with my best friend! Since I didn’t have a job lined up, I figured I would try my best to freelance full time. I’ve been doing it for almost 3 years now!!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I’m primarily a painter so I spend a lot of time making pieces for galleries- I typically work in acrylic and acrylic gouache on the wood panel but I also make drawings. I do illustration jobs for more regular income, so that can include painting a mural, making a digitally colored editorial for an article, designing a graphic for a tee, making album art – you have to be able to translate your work into a variety of mediums, sizes and formats.
My work is personal and themes vary from piece to piece so there’s no one message that I want people to take away when they see my stuff.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
It’s hard to say because what do you mean by biggest? Personally, my biggest practical challenge at the moment is making money since a lot of my supporters are young and can’t afford expensive originals but I know that’s just something you have to build up to and it takes time.
I know a lot of people are getting ripped off and Instagram certainly makes it easier, but that’s a problem that has always existed in art. And Instagram in itself can be a problem but it’s also an incredible tool so navigating the murky waters of that can be challenging.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I currently have a show with Lolo YS, Kashink and Boykong on view at Superchief Gallery NY and it will be up until August 16th. I’m going to be in a group show at Galleries 1988 soon, there’s another group show planned for Mexico at Guru MX in December and then I’ll be in a show for Madrid Art Week next February.
I also have a big show with Jillian Evelyn planned for September 2019 at Corey Helford Gallery. And there are definitely more to come, my schedule gets packed pretty quickly so it’s hard for me to keep track of projects. I also have a few pieces on view at the Museum of Sex in NY and they keep extending the show so it should be on view for a bit! If you’re interested in buying originals you can email me. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristenliuart.com
- Phone: 4158165650
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kliuwong
Image Credit:
Luke Pelletier
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