Selena Liu
Selena Liu is a non-binary Taiwanese-American artist native to New York, who works primarily in sculpture and installation.
They explore themes such as language, nostalgia, and the mundane using color, humor, and performance. With a background in industrial design from Pratt Institute, a sense of interaction is present throughout their works, blurring the boundary between the artist and the audience.
Moving Picture (2024)
“Moving Picture” is a vessel exploring memory and the impact of trauma. Inspired by the movement of merry-go-rounds, the cyclical nature allows people to re-experience memories, while constructing new ones.
“Moving Picture” houses objects that have personal significance, often found or gifted, that carry their own histories, bridging the past and present. These objects, imbued with personal history, become both anchors and accelerators within time. As the objects and memories orbit, intersecting and engaging in stories, the viewer is invited to immerse themselves in a multifaceted narrative. Depending on the vantage point, these found artifacts create new visual interactions, forming unique stories with every revolution. The juxtaposition of kinetic motion and tangible relics evokes a sense of reflection on the fluid nature of memory. “Moving Picture” articulates the complex relationship between time perception and memory.
Memories are affected by trauma, which lingers in people’s bodies by warping time and bringing them back to the moment of occurrence. The dissociative effects of trauma find expression in the kinetic dance of the sculpture, fragmented memories where recollections are often sliced into digestible pieces. As the title suggests, dissociation often disconnects one from the motions of life, just as a movie is an external narrative outside of one’s own experience; the result– life as a dance between past, present, and future.
The Lookout (2024)
“The Lookout '' explores the intersection of nostalgia and permanence. Taking the form of a window, each frame tells a unique story crafted from the residue of peeled stickers. Upon first glance, the artwork appears deceptively flat– a traditional window through which to look beyond. However, a closer examination reveals a collage of memories– landscapes of layers and textures composed of seemingly-haphazardly placed stickers.
This piece captures the fleeting nature of childhood memories and the enduring lessons they impart as they endure into adulthood; what is learned during childhood shapes our perceptions as adults. The discarded sticker residue, often associated with childhood play, challenges conventional notions of what is considered precious and lasting. The artwork invites contemplation on the overlooked, the discarded, and the nostalgic– presenting a paradoxical energy that emerges from the unexpected.