KRISTEN LIU-WONG
ANIMAL INSTINCT

Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery (CHG) is proud to announce its next solo show from Los Angeles-based painter and illustrator Kristen Liu-Wong, titled Animal Instinct, set to debut November 22 in Gallery 2.

The work of Chinese American artist Kristen Liu-Wong blends everyday occurrences from her life with abstracted nightmares and crude humor. Trained as an illustrator, she tries to tell a story with every piece she makes, developing a personal and slightly sinister narrative within each painting. Using vibrant colors, heavy patterning, and tight compositions, the work draws inspiration from a variety of sources, including but not limited to American folk art, the cartoons she watched as a kid, Japanese shunga (erotic art), and her appreciation for architecture. Liu-Wong is always striving to make work that is highly personal but altered enough to allow individual interpretations to be applied to every story she paints. Animal Instinct marks Liu-Wong’s fifth solo show at CHG, following Hard Pressed (Sept. 2022), Let the Mirror Move First (May 2021), Not a Flower Alone (collaborative show with Jillian Evelyn, Sept. 2019), and Conflict/Resolution (Sept. 2017). 

Regarding her new works, Liu-Wong shares: “This year has been one of upheaval, violence, and suffering across the world. When I began preparing for this show, wildfires had just broken out in Los Angeles—I even packed my first piece into the car as we evacuated our home. My pieces are reflections on human nature. Humans often forget that we are animals, and to call someone an ‘animal’ is seen as an insult, implying a lack of control, yet after witnessing this year, I’d argue we are the most dangerous species on this planet. Our belief that we stand apart from nature and animals drives us to murder over skin color or faith, detonate atomic bombs, and ignore the damage we inflict on the planet. We use our intellect to amplify our primitive impulses—fear, greed, jealousy—creating mass violence where an animal would only bite. We consume, mate, fight, love, and nurture. We are not above the animal world; we are its most volatile member.”

Liu-Wong has started sharing in-studio videos, providing a sneak peek into some of her new works featured in the upcoming show (including “Fully Ripened” and “Paradise Lost and Found” – both seen above). Accompanying a work-in-progress video of her new piece “The Parade” (seen above), the artist shares, “Here are the final 90 minutes, sped up, of a piece that I spent over 2 months, deep in my painting hole to finish. It was both a physical and mental challenge to complete this but I'm very proud that I was finally ready to create this piece that I've wanted to make since I first read Germinal years ago. It's certainly one of the most ambitious scenes that I've ever attempted and I'm so excited to share it with everyone in November.” In July, Liu-Wong shared a tour of her studio for Hi-Fructose Magazine, which begins with the artist talking about her new piece “She Was Ravenous That Night” (seen above).

Open to the public and free to attend, Animal Instinct is set to debut on Saturday, November 22 from 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm in Gallery 2, alongside a solo show from award-winning and internationally celebrated artist Messy Desk, titled A Journey to Wonderland. Also debuting on the same night (11/22) is another two-artist exhibit featuring solo shows from French artist Marc Le Rest (titled Under the Pink) and San Francisco-based artist Martin Hsu (titled In This Moment) in the Main Gallery. The shows will be on view at CHG through January 3, with the exception of December 24 through January 1, when the gallery will be closed for the holidays.

About Kristen Liu-Wong:

Born and raised in San Francisco, Chinese American artist Kristen Liu-Wong attended Pratt Institute, where she graduated with a BFA in Illustration. Since 2013, she has shown extensively in numerous galleries, both domestically and abroad, as well as worked with a broad range of clients (including Vans, RVCA, Adidas, Titmouse Animation Studios, Nasty Gal, Adult Swim, UGG, and more) on projects ranging from murals to editorial illustrations to clothing lines. In addition, the artist has been profiled by various magazines and books worldwide, including Juxtapoz, VICE, Hi-Fructose, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Flaunt, Cool Hunting, Schön! Magazine, and Metal Magazine, among many others. Liu-Wong currently lives and works in Los Angeles, where she is also an adjunct Illustration Instructor at Laguna College of Art and Design.