金城小子劉小東“游畫記”(2/2)

Jerome Sans, curator of the exhibit, says Liu's work shows one reality of a modernizing China - the people who are left behind. "He is depicting social realities, social catastrophes, or realities which have no value, but which are serious human values, or showing problems mostly in fact." Sans compares Liu to a filmmaker. The artist used old photos and notes to first map out the ideas for his paintings. A film by Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-Hsien delves into the artist's thinking as he worked. In Jincheng, Liu paints the room in the little house where he was born. He paints Xuzi, a friend who has been laid off by the paper mill. Liu also paints other old friends in their jobs, a policeman, a karaoke club manager, and an ex-convict turned restaurant owner. "As society changes, every sector is moving and the changes affect each other. All this made me very surprised. I discovered that a person's ability to adapt is like grass in the natural world. When winter comes, it is dormant, but it comes back to life when spring returns." Liu's world is filled with ordinary people, most of whom struggle to keep up with and survive in today's China.