Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Keyi Liu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Keyi, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

Since I was young, my dream is to be an artist. I dreamt every day, and when I woke up, I could vividly remember everything that happened in my dreams. Compared to reality, the world in my dreams looks twisted and chaotic. This is probably where my art creation began. I believe the world is multidimensional. Humans and fantastical creatures coexist, which leads me to fantasize about it. Another factor that influenced me was the education system I experienced. The education system before college was rigorous and oppressive. Schools required students to have the same hairstyle, wear the same clothes, etc. When everyone stood together, you couldn’t tell them apart because they all looked the same.

This experience has also changed my perspective on artistic creation. Before this, I thought artistic creation was simply about depicting scenes from my imagination. However, afterward, I realized that art is a metaphorical language that can express my attitudes toward society and life. This made me even more determined to become an artist. Then, I began to put my emotions and thoughts about life and culture into my artwork, which set the form for the inspiration I would find in my subsequent creations.

After that, I officially started my art studies. I received a BFA degree in Illustration major from the School of Visual Arts and a March degree in Design for Performance and Interaction from University College London. During this time, I explored many different mediums and developed the ability to think, which has significantly improved my work in terms of both concept and artistic expression. At this stage, my mainly focus is on 3D art, using this artistic form to explore some social themes.

Keyi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi everyone, I’m Keyi Liu. I’m a multimedia artist and illustrator. Currently, I am traveling between New York and London for my art activities. I have explored many mediums, such as illustration, generative art, 3D art, installation art, and so on. My current projects are primarily focused on 3D art.

I think my specialty is visual design. I’m a very imaginative person. I see any sights in life, even a white wall, and I can instantly transform them into a fantastical space, so for me, this creative process is a constant source of inspiration; that’s what I’m most proud of. And I’m a goal-oriented person who doesn’t give up easily, which I think is very important in creating art because it’s not an easy journey, and when an artist has a good idea, they need to have the ability to turn it into a work of art.

The theme of most of my work revolves around the confrontational relationship between nature and rules. I have explored this theme in different mediums. For example, in the interactive installation “Forbidden Cage” that I designed in 2022, I used the imagery of spiders and cages to represent societal rules and installed ultrasonic sensors inside. The audience, representing free will, was included as part of this project. When the audience approached the spider, its limbs would wriggle frantically, imitating its hunting movements. At the same time, the cage above the spider would also open as if attempting to catch the audience and trap them into the rules and restrictions.

I also explored this topic in the VR project ‘Heavenly’ which I created in 2023. In this project, I create a virtual space set in the future and visualizing this confrontation as a 3D narrative animation. This project is inspired by the increasingly popular “consciousness uploading” topic. We often see this form of existence discussed in movies and literature. By uploading their consciousness into the virtual world, humans can break away from the physical body’s limitations and gain “immortality power”. Many idealize this form of life, believing that the virtual world of immortality can make up for the regrets of real life but ignoring its potential dangers. However, as long as society exists, regardless of its form, it will have limitations. The transformation of social forms cannot eliminate dilemmas but only transform them into another form of existence.

I think this confrontational relationship is an interesting topic because although they have a fundamental logic, they are not the same under different social contexts. This is why I keep exploring this topic.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

There is always a difference in thinking between creative and non-creative people when looking at artwork. Because majors are different, so we cannot ask everyone to criticize art professionally. And artists are constantly strengthening their ability to think artistically in their creations. So sometimes, what the audience thinks is good art differs from what the artist thinks is good art.

When the audience tries to understand an artwork, the most important thing is to read the art description of the work carefully. Sometimes, glancing at the art description or not reading it at all can lead to unnecessary misunderstandings of the artwork. This is because art often gives people a preconceived visual impression, and some viewers may misinterpret this visual impression as the meaning of the project. So, reading the art description carefully is a good way to establish a quick connection between the viewer and the artwork.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

NFT provides more opportunities for digital art to be exhibited because of traditional galleries. Exhibiting digital art requires more equipment to be prepared and deal with connection problems, which limits the display of digital art. And it’s interesting for artists and creators that NFT also provides a way to trade directly with fans and collectors.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://keyiliu-art.cargo.site
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edekiow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keyi-liu1215/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/ZTm_AjnTNzk