Touring 'Liu Kuo-sung: Experimentation as Method'

English Curator Tour at the National Gallery of Singapore for Liu Kuo-sung: Experimentation as Method.

I signed up for an English curator tour for the exhibition, Liu Kuo-sung: Experimentation as Method. Hosted by the two curators, we were given a tour around the exhibition, going through Liu Kuo-sung’s many artworks in a chronological sequence that was divided into 3 sections. Though the tour was conducted primarily in English, both curators were effectively bilingual and shared information about the pieces in Chinese as well. The session was very interactive, with questions like “Do you see any brush strokes in this painting?”, thrown to the audience, and time was given to make our own interpretations of Liu’s works.

I was able to learn more about Liu Kuo-sung’s legacy as the father of modern Chinese ink painting and his journey of experimentation with techniques to make art without the use of a brush. As the exhibition was curated and designed in a chronological order, it was easy to see the developments of his practice—from his first attempts to experimentation to mastery. The curators also shared conversations they had with Liu Kuo-sung about the methods and thought processes of his works. One interesting conversation cleared up the curators’ misconception of a method used for one painting, in which Liu utilised an original method he came up with, named “water-painting”.

The tour was very insightful and allowed me to view Liu Kuo-sung’s artworks in a different perspective that considered the artist’s techniques. If not for this tour, I would have not known about his clever techniques and inventions. I realised that there is very little information about his processes available online, which I feel is a pity because more people should know about Liu's legacy.