Artist: Yucen Liu (3rd year Graduate MFA)
Exhibition: Metal Group Show
Media: Copper, Brass, Sand
Gallery: CSULB School of Art; MFA 3D Media (Fiber, Metal, Wood)
Yucen Liu is 3rd year graduate student from the CSULB School of Art program with a focus on 3D media metal art. She stated that she is working towards her MFA. The work that Liu presented was a little metal bear that had a plant growing out the top of its head. During her explanation of her work titled “Mom said, if I accidentally eat watermelon seed” Liu said that much of her work reflects the stuffed animals from her childhood. She stated that she is an only child, so her parents would give her stuffed animals to keep her company. Liu said that most of her other works are part of a collection of metal animals that tell stories from her childhood. Her work also reflects her family; she stated that coming out to California to study has caused her to miss her family. She said that those stuffed animals that her parents gave to her represent the love and companionship from her family as well. Each piece of her work reflects on childhood memories that she misses when she was back home spending time with her family.
The little bear was very detailed. The “fur” of the bear consisted of jagged lines showing an illusion of real bear fur. Those detailed lines contrasted well with the smooth nose and ears of the bear. The leaves of the plant grow out of the bear’s head, along with a few flowers. The leaves are also very detailed, and resemble real leaves of a plant. They have a slight curl to them, as well as jagged ends that emphasize their natural aesthetic. Both the bear and the leaves of the plant are made out of copper but the flowers are made out of brass, and that adds a lighter tone to them which makes them stand out. The copper gives the bear and the leaves a brown shiny tone to them while the flowers have a lighter golden brown tone to them. The piece itself focuses on the use of metals, and it follows a “metal-colored pallet” (brown/golden brown colors). The only part of the piece that is different from the rest of the media used, is the black sand that sits around the bear. The black sand is still part of the whole piece because it represents soil or dirt around the bear, as if the bear is buried with only the head and the plant visible. The size of the piece is about medium size, it is not too big that it overtakes the whole room, but it is not so small that you have to squint to see it. The piece is at a perfect size where it is big enough for the viewer to see all the intricate details of the bear and the plant.
One question that Liu answered was “Why did you choose the bear [as the main focus]?” Liu responded that the bear represented how her parents gave her stuffed animals as a child to keep her company since she was an only child. The bear also represented a story/memory from her childhood. (Each of her works represent the stuffed animals she grew up with and her childhood memories). Liu was asked what idea she was trying to explore or express with her piece. She responded by saying that she wanted to share a story/memory from her childhood with others. The piece titled “Mom said, if I accidentally eat watermelon seed” explores a common story parents tell their children that states that if you swallow watermelon seeds, a watermelon will grow inside of you. It is a common story parents share in hopes of teaching their kids to avoid eating things they are not supposed to eat. Liu said that she hopes that others can relate to these stories from her childhood and find commonality and nostalgic memories in her work.
Right away, this piece caught my attention because of the story it tells. From reading the title, I related to the story because my parents would also tell me that if I ate watermelon seeds, a watermelon would grow inside of me. Besides being very beautiful and detailed, the piece also does a good job of resonating with people’s memories. Even if someone’s parents did not tell them that story, I feel that people would still be able to related because everyone has some weird stories that parents tell them as a child. Liu had said that she hopes people can relate to the childhood stories her animals tell, and I feel her pieces do a great job of sharing that childhood commonality.
Brianna 