Deviations in Rupture: Liu Feng’s Solo Exhibition Reveals a Contemporary Expression of the Body and Its Burdens

Artist Weekly Contributor

On January 31, 2026, artist Liu Feng (also known as Liu Zhenfeng) concludes his debut solo exhibition Deviations in Rupture at Hello Market, New York. Curated by Lan Shi, this exhibition presented a powerful series of paintings created in the post-pandemic era. As a multi-disciplinary artist working across painting, photography, and moving image, Liu offers a poignant contemporary expression centered on the body, weight, and emotional states of our time.

The title Deviations in Rupture points to the instinctual bodily reactions to fracture—whether personal or societal. Figures in Liu’s paintings are often shown suspended, twisted, or bending under an invisible load. These seemingly absurd yet precisely rendered poses evoke a collective post-pandemic subconscious. “In my paintings, time and space are both extracted,” Liu explains. “The only protagonist left is the body.”

Painting as a Return

Though initially trained in digital media and film—and having directed several documentaries and commercial projects in China—Liu Feng never truly left painting behind. He recalls childhood memories of martial arts comics his aunt brought back from Hong Kong, and teenage years spent copying Rubens. It was during the COVID lockdowns that he picked up the brush again: “Back then, painting wasn’t for display,” he says, “but a way to combat fear and despair.”

This return led to a distinct visual language that retains cinematic framing and movement while incorporating raw, unvarnished brushwork. “I’m not after realism,” Liu says. “I want to capture the psychological immediacy of a person’s first reaction to the world—before any preparation.”

A Humorous Gaze Toward Gravity

All of the works in this exhibition center on human figures, set against sparse or nearly abstract backgrounds. These bodies deviate subtly from the physical norm: a man stumbling mid-turn, a woman bearing an oversized object in an awkward pose, a blurred silhouette gliding through shifting light. Liu defines these images as “narratives of gravity”—a visual language that externalizes psychological burden through bodily expression.

“I’m fascinated by these awkward and clumsy movements,” Liu explains. “They capture the unspeakable moments we experience during overwhelming times.” For him, humor is also part of healing: “To find softness in the absurd is a kind of therapy.”

His palette relies heavily on muted reds, greys, and browns. “Red to me isn’t about passion—it’s the color of wounds, of hyper-awareness,” he says. “Grey represents suspended emotion. Brown is grounding—it’s the color of the earth and the body.”

He leaves visible traces of brush collision and textural imperfections on canvas, refusing to retouch them. “Because that’s the true texture of emotion. Perfect images can’t convey anxiety,” he adds.

“The Heaviest Work Is Also the Most Important One”

Deviations in Rupture: Liu Feng’s Solo Exhibition Reveals a Contemporary Expression of the Body and Its Burdens

Photo Courtesy: Liu Feng

One of the exhibition’s most pivotal pieces is titled Liveing Into Darkness, Dying Like a Summer Flower—a turning point in Liu’s artistic practice. The work was inspired by the documentary Four Springs, particularly the scene in which an elderly couple farewells their daughter, who dies of a serious illness after years of living apart. “They send her off with the most passionate celebration,” Liu recounts. “It made me wonder: are we only truly seen when we leave?”

He also references a memory from his home village, where he saw a funeral procession with drums and gongs escorting an elderly woman out of the village—“the most glorious day of her life,” he says. During life, she was largely ignored; in death, she was honored. This painting captures that surreal moment of farewell—one that’s ceremonial, slightly absurd, but filled with a tender warmth that is more comforting than sorrowful.

Photo Courtesy: Liu Feng

As Liu Feng’s first solo exhibition, Deviations in Rupture offers audiences a sensory and emotional framework to understand the present moment—through the body, through gesture, and through mood. Rather than telling stories, Liu constructs emotional spaces that allow the viewer to immerse, project, and reflect.