Liu Ye was born in Changsha in 1984 into a family of teachers. He says he has lived in Changsha all his life. He says, “My grandfather and parents were all Chinese language teachers at universities and high schools… From a young age, I loved to draw, and my parents were very supportive. Apart from school, I devoted all my time to drawing.” In 2007 he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in visual communication from Huaqiao University, and in 2017 completed an advanced course in Figure Painting at the China Academy of Art. After initially studying Chinese painting, Liu Ye transitioned to oil painting, showing a keen interest in depicting the emotions people exhibit. Liu Ye draws inspiration from biblical stories and Dante’s Divine Comedy which can be seen in his figures which are imbued with a sense of transcendence and divine tranquillity. He strips the classical figures of their muscles and bones, juxtaposing them with geometric shapes to create symbolically rich compositions. In his work, he explores the contradictory and chaotic aspects of human nature while simultaneously concealing and smoothing them out, forming the main theme of his paintings. He currently lives and works in Changsha, Hunan.

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 YE in the collection database