REFLECTIONS

Photography has become a meaningful way for me to capture moments and express my inner thoughts. After graduation, while seeking stability in my professional life, I traveled extensively with friends, gaining diverse experiences. This period led me to embrace photography as a means of expressing and processing my emotions.

I chose to create self-portraits because they are the best way for me to communicate with myself. They help make being alone less lonely and allow me to get to know myself better. These self-portraits inadvertently capture different moments of my appearance, and they also serve as a visual diary.

Ziqian Liu has garnered a strong following on Instagram thanks to her stunning self-portraits. Her distinctive style is characterized by elegant, minimalist shapes that are easily recognizable. She skillfully employs a neutral palette, occasionally punctuated by vibrant colours, to further emphasize her strong personality as an artist.

She was born in 1990 in China and is currently based in Shanghai. She graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 2015 and began her photography journey in 2018. All of her work consists of self-portraits. She creates these self-portraits by blending her body, plants, and mirror images to explore the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. Her visually calming works intentionally seldom reveal her face, inviting viewers to envision themselves in the images, leading to diverse interpretations of her art.

Ziqian's work explores two main themes: the symbiosis between humans and nature, and the importance of viewing things from different perspectives to reveal new insights.

– She believes that humans and the natural world are equals, coexisting in the same environment and showing mutual tolerance. In her work, Ziqian aims to capture the harmony and peace between humans and nature, emphasizing the beauty that arises from this symbiotic relationship. –Ziqian encourages viewers to look at familiar things from different angles to reveal new insights. She extends this idea beyond physical objects, emphasizing the importance of understanding others and exploring our own emotions from various perspectives.

In her work, she aims to create a peaceful yet multi-dimensional world for the audience. She wants to showcase the strength of women beyond their soft and delicate side. One reason she chooses self-portraits is to have a conversation with herself and understand herself better. She also wants to slow down time, connect with her surroundings, and observe their changes. Flowers and fruits are integral parts of her artwork, representing this connection. In today's fast-paced and chaotic world, she believes that integration is about acceptance, and noticing subtle changes is a way of accepting the new self.

To view all the works, please click on the images.