Artwork Description

Title: Alice
Artist: Liu Min
Date: n.d.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 50.4 × 70.9 in (128 × 180 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
In Alice, Liu Min presents a hyper-realistic and fantastical image of a female figure suspended within a surreal landscape of inflated textures and vibrant color. The composition, striking in its chromatic intensity and anatomical precision, blends pop-surrealist elements with a psychological undercurrent. Rendered in oil on canvas, the painting captures a moment of expressive suspension—ropes tether the central figure as she is wrapped in an amorphous, glistening mass of pink and blue organic forms. The result is an unsettling yet visually mesmerizing scene.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Liu Min's visual language is unmistakably rooted in contemporary hyperrealism, merging elements of digital fantasy with biomorphic abstraction. The meticulous detailing of the figure contrasts with the cartoonish exaggeration of the viscera-like textures, evoking both digital aesthetics and bodily vulnerability. There are echoes of Japanese manga, Western pop surrealism, and the visceral materiality found in the works of artists like Takashi Murakami and Lisa Yuskavage. Liu Min balances synthetic allure with emotional disquiet, achieving a compelling fusion of the grotesque and the beautiful.

3. Historical Context
Emerging from the post-2000s Chinese contemporary art scene, Liu Min belongs to a generation of artists navigating new technologies, gender politics, and globalized aesthetics. The artist's work reflects the hybrid identities that proliferate in the age of internet culture, cosplay, and augmented realities. Alice can be seen as an exploration of feminine identity under pressure—bound, stylized, and transformed into spectacle—resonating with ongoing discourses surrounding bodily autonomy, objectification, and agency in both Eastern and Western societies.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The painting is in very good condition, with no visible signs of damage, restoration, or deterioration. The surface is clean, the paint layers are stable, and the canvas is taut. The glossy textures and vibrant pigment saturation have been well-preserved, suggesting appropriate handling and storage.

6. Artistic Significance
Liu Min is part of a rising generation of Asian contemporary artists whose works blur boundaries between traditional painting and digital aesthetics. Alice stands as a testament to this synthesis, offering a captivating critique of femininity, containment, and visual seduction. The painting’s layered references and striking visual impact make it a valuable acquisition for collectors focused on post-millennial Asian contemporary art, especially those interested in the intersections of pop culture, gender theory, and surrealism.