Liu Shuishi (b. 1962, China) is a New York–based painter and installation artist whose work explores questions of consciousness, being, and self-reflection. Influenced by German and Abstract Expressionism as well as traditional Chinese calligraphy, his paintings feature elongated figures and abstract markings rendered in thick oil paint, combining bold, gestural brushwork with a romantic, emotionally charged palette. His practice is informed by Western philosophy, particularly the writings of Nietzsche, Kant, and Freud.
Shuishi studied at the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts in the 1980s, and a philosophical awakening in 2007 marked a turning point in his practice, shaping a visual language centered on the pursuit of absolute beauty. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Salon du Carrousel du Louvre and Art en Capital in Paris (2009), where he received a Silver Prize from the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts; the 56th Venice Biennale (2015); and his solo exhibitions Thinking As Art Media at the Today Art Museum inBeijing(2017) and We All Exist at the Zhuhai Museum in Zhuhai, China (2023). His works are held in notable collections including the Macao Foundation, the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, and the collection of former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
