HISTORY |Western Art Historyin the Eyes of a Fat Chinese Man

Chinese people have long been researching and exploring Western art. As art develops as time passes， researching and studying classical masterworks remains a key method of artistic progression. My inspiration for this series derives from Japanese photographer Yasumasa Morimura’s Daughter of Art History series. Morimura defaced masterpieces by substituting his own face for the subjects’ faces. In these images， I injected myself into classical western sculpture. I remade these images， which stand for wisdom and beauty， with my fat body， thus totally changing their original appearances and creating entirely new connotations.

Alternative Salute from the East

Yang Liu’s unique method of immersing himself in Western art history by altering classical sculptures is indeed reminiscent of Yasumasa Morimura， but Yang has created singular features. Portraying himself as women in some of the works is already a challenge for a man. It is a bold statement and as transformational to the original works as to Yang himself. His overweight body deforms the classical images and alters traditional aesthetic concepts of “thin is beautiful，” thus changing the feeling of the classical works. It is a special salute from the East to Western classical art and masters.