Artist, researcher, writer and curator Liu Ding was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province in 1976. His multi-faceted and transdisciplinary research-based practice has manifested itself in a diverse range of forms and media, from painting and installation to performance and photography. His curatorial and theoretical work is an equally important aspect of his practice. Most recently he has investigated the history and aesthetics of Socialist Realism and the period of Chinese art history prior to the emergence of the post-Cultural Revolution avant-garde, in order to re-evaluate its art historical and aesthetic significance and to examine conditions of cultural production and the social role of artists and intellectuals in their society. This investigation challenges assumptions made both within and outside China about modernity and postmodernity that have neglected the period prior to the emergence of the Stars group. He has also explored aspects of the systems and structures of the artworld, questioning how an artwork’s value and meaning is assigned, challenging notions of originality and conventions of display and commodification. His curatorial work examines the relationships between artworks and audiences, and the social role of the museum. Liu’s works have been shown widely internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include ‘Li Jianguo Born in 1962’, Antenna Space, Shanghai (2016); ‘Reef: A Prequel’, Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, Netherlands (2015); ‘Three Performances’, Galerie Urs Meile, Beijing (2014); ‘BMW Tate Live: Liu Ding Almost Avante-Garde’, Performance Room, Tate Modern, London, UK (2013); ‘Liu Ding’s Store: Take Home and Make Real the Priceless in Your Heart’, Frye Art Museum, Seattle, USA (2013); ‘Gravestone for Rumour Mongers/Grabstein für Verleumder’, L.A. Galerie, Frankfurt, Germany (2011) and ‘Liu Ding: Conversations’, Moscow Biennale for Young Art, Aftergallery, Moscow, Russia (2010). His long history of participation in significant international curated group exhibitions includes ‘Chinese Whispers’, Kunstmuseum Bern and Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern, Switzerland (2016) and 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane, Australia and the 14th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul, Turkey (2015). In 2009 he was chosen to represent China at the 53rd Venice Biennale in a group exhibition titled ‘See a World in Grain of Sand’. His major curatorial projects include: ‘Salon Salon: Fine Art Practices from 1972 to 1982 in Profile -A Beijing Perspective’, Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing (2017); ‘New Measurement Group and Qian Weikang’, OCAT Shenzhen, Shenzhen (2015); ‘From the Issue of Art to the Issue of Position: Echoes of Socialist Realism’, OCAT Shenzhen, Shenzhen (2014); and ‘We Have Never Participated’, Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale, Shenzhen (2012). Liu Ding lives and works in Beijing.

The White Rabbit Collection is one of the world’s most extensive and significant collections of contemporary art from China. With a focus on works created since the year 2000, the Collection contains almost 3,000 works by over 750 artists and continues to expand. Note that when you click on the link below you will be forwarded to the White Rabbit Collection website.

Explore the work of Liu Ding in the collection database