Interview with Huntz Liu for ‘Subtraction’

Thinkspace is pleased to present Subtraction featuring new work by Huntz Liu in our project room.

Liu’s compositions are comprised of shapes that sit on different planes, creating literal depth, while the composition itself creates a perceived depth. It is this intersection of the literal and perceived that informs the work; where the absence of material reveals form and the casting of shadow create line.

In anticipation of Subtraction, our interview with Huntz Liu expands on our previous talk with the artist and dives into Matrix downloads and where he would take Bruce Lee to dinner.

SH: In our previous interview with you, you had said that you source a lot inspiration from architecture and interior spaces. Can you tell us what some of your favorite buildings or spaces maybe?

HL: Of buildings I’ve been: Salk Institute, Bauhaus Dessau, Getty Center, Musée d’Orsay.

SH: Do you buy your colored paper in bulk for multiple works to be made at the same time or just the paper you need for one piece? Can you share with us a picture of how your paper is stored/organized?

HL: I buy and store paper in bulk. My studio can definitely pass as a paper store.

SH: How many exacto-blades do you go through in a month?

HL: I would say roughly 50 blades.

SH: Did or do you have an artistic mentor?

HL: No, I’ve never had one.

SH: Are you a coffee or tea person? How do you prepare it? Do you have a favorite brand of it?

HL: Coffee for sure. I just burr grind and brew with a basic machine. Not too picky about coffee roasters.

SH: If you could make an album cover for any musical artist, who would it be?

HL: Probably Beck.

SH: If you could download any skill into your brain, Matrix-style, what would you want to instantly learn?

HL: I would download the skill of being able to maintain a consistent meditation/mindfulness practice. Maybe that’s just discipline.. is discipline a skill?

SH: Would you rather be able to talk to animals or read people’s minds?

HL: Read people’s minds.

SH: If you could have dinner with 5 people dead or alive, who would they be and what would you be eating?

HL: Bruce Lee, Kanye, Nefertiti, Elliott Smith, and Duchamp.. getting our hands dirty at a Boiling Crab.

Huntz Liu’s ‘Subtraction’ on view April 4th to April 25th

HUNTZ LIU
Subtraction
On view April 4 – April 25, 2020

Concurrently on view in the Thinkspace project room is “Subtraction”, featuring new works from Huntz Liu. The artist works with a straight edge and knife, cutting and layering the paper to expose geometric/abstract compositions. These compositions are comprised of shapes that sit on different planes, creating literal depth, while the composition itself creates a perceived depth. It is this intersection of the literal and perceived that informs the work; where the absence of material reveals form and the casting of shadow create line.

Recently, Liu has been further exploring the collision between imaginary space and real space: shadows that cast shadow / extruding shapes that recede like a sunken relief / sliced shapes formed by cut material.
The artist adds “Underlying every piece is the method and medium of hand-cut paper. There is a calm in this process, with its forced tedium + slow/heavy time consumption, that allows me to live in and about the work. Every shape and color, every corner and edge, I was there for. There is no escaping it and, ultimately, there are no shortcuts.”

Studio Visit with Carlos Ramirez in anticipation of “A Faster Hallelujah”

A studio visit with Carlos Ramirez for his upcoming solo exhibition “A Faster Hallelujah” that will open on Saturday, April 4 via our website and blog for online viewing.

Ramirez’s work is a multi-cultural mix of old and new, layered with socio-political ideas, street aesthetics, and pop iconography. After many years of collaborating and receiving international recognition as one half of The Date Farmers, Carlos is continuing to forge a new chapter as a solo artist and we could not be more honored to be working with him.

Video courtesy of Birdman