This exhibition is a retrospect of Liu Shiming’s creative career. His creation continues to well up like a flowing spring and every year many new sculptures emerge. Friends old and new are all amazed by his exuberant creativity. When standing in front of his profuse artworks, everyone would feel as if they are entering a rich and beautiful world of emotions, as every piece of the artwork is a snapshot he takes of life and refines it with how his heart feels after pleasure is experienced. Collectively, all the artworks are full of vigour and warmth.

Indeed, Liu creates sculptures in a happy state of mind. For an artist facing a complex and tempting cultural world today, the most admirable quality is to maintain a pure and free heart. Although in comparison, today’s art world is saturated with discussions on various art issues and all the flourishing artistic concepts, Liu stays committed to art and to his pure heart. No matter how diversified the outside world has become, he preserves inner peace and purity.

Liu’s artistic style cannot be categorised under any era. His artworks result from years of artistic practice and artistic field research. They stem from his inner understanding of sculpture and the world. I think we can analyse his works from the perspective of yun, which in Chinese may mean both rhythm and charm. In the composition of each sculpture, Liu not only grasps the most basic structural elements in three-dimensional works, but also composes a rhythm with points, lines and planes while tapping into the vocabulary in Chinese folk traditional sculpture. Highlighted is the charm of the structure that he shapes after capturing the momentary state of the object to manifest the philosophy and true meaning in traditional Chinese culture. 

In this regard, his artworks have been constantly evolving. In the early days, they were created to pursue rhythm only. In recent years, he gradually controlled the overall direction and tone of artworks. The interplay among different rhythms presents a collection of multi-layered and multi-angle sculptures. There are many images related to society and life in Liu’s works, but the images are not simple representation. Rather, they derive from Liu’s perception of life. He spends a lot of time understanding society and life, but basically, he does not describe life directly. Instead, he mellows the feelings of what he sees and hears and transform the feelings into emotions. Therefore, what he creates are endowed with more humanity, more love for life.

Art creation is inherently personal, but when the art receives acknowledgement and responses, it is commendable. Liu’s unique art has received such dear responses as he has an independent spirit and he speaks a profound language while his art has a natural affinity with life and people, which is able to interact and connect with people.

It is worth noting that Liu’s works are not at all spontaneous creations. The size and number of the works on display serve as proof. The sculptures can be sorted by different subject matters and make up different series. They can be regarded as entries in a diary. For decades, the old man expressed what he saw and felt every day in these works rather than words. When we observe all the works as a unity, the diversity and how they can fall into a series can be identified. The term “diversity in unity” may just describe that. So, as an aged artist, how does he sustain a steady stream of creative inspiration? How does he infuse each work with distinctive emotions and characters?

Simply put, this cannot go without Liu’s self-cultivation and life experience. First of all, he was systematically and scientifically trained in a professional academy, and he was instructed by famous teachers. His basic skills are solid. Secondly, after receiving systematic education, he went deep into Henan, Hebei and other places to study Chinese folk sculpture assiduously. Also, during his years of working in the National Museum of Chinese History (now the National Museum of China), he was exposed to numerous ancient sculptures. More importantly, when he immersed himself in Henan, Hebei and other places, he never stopped absorbing nutrients from life. When he finally had the chance to create, he relied on those memories only, those indelible memories. His sculptures are of the “freehand” type. Not every detail is depicted but the most expressive features, regarding attitude and spirit, are illustrated meticulously. This is the most difficult thing to achieve in the entire creative process, and it is where the virtuosity of an artist is clearly demonstrated.

What prompts one to create may be the desire to express a feeling, to describe an object or to state an opinion. For Liu, the only motive is the feeling in his heart, the feeling for life. It is the feeling that prompts his hands to recreate life by compulsion. He is fairly “egoistic” in creations. He stores freedom in his heart, and he is free from any control and restraint from the outside world. He relies on his inner feelings only to create. Instead of reproducing typical images and typical events, he captures the most private feeling in his heart and pursues the heart’s understanding of life. He always puts life and heart first, so his creation is not concealed or beautified. As an artist’s character is closely related to his art, the works created by Liu as a very real and sincere artist are also real and sincere. Liu is an optimistic person, so we can sense happiness in his works. Liu is indifferent to gains and losses, so we can sense generosity in his works. Liu is such a simple person, and we can feel it from his humble and simple sculptures.

Rooted in the soil of national art, Liu is a devoted artist. He does not aim to please the world or pursue fame and fortune. He is an artist who stays committed to inner peace and beauty. Encountering Liu and his sculptures, we can only rejoice at his purity.