Hung Liu

"'Hung Liu: Portraits of Promised Lands' presents the multilayered work of this contemporary Chinese American artist, whose paintings have established new frameworks for understanding portraiture in relation to time, memory, and history. Often sourcing her subjects from photographs, Liu (b. 1948) elevates overlooked individuals by amplifying the stories of those who have historically been invisible or unheard. This richly illustrated book examines six decades of Liu's painting, photography, and drawing. Dorothy Moss illuminates the importance of family photographs in Liu's work; Nancy Lim examines the origins of Liu's artistic practice; Lucy R. Lippard explores issues of identity and multiculturalism; and Elizabeth Partridge focuses on Liu's recent series based on Dorothea Lange's Depression-era photographs. Philip Tinari conveys Liu's impact on contemporary art, and artists Judy Chicago, Amy Sherald, and Carrie Mae Weems, among others, reflect on the significance of he work. Having lived through war, political revolution, exile, and displacement, Liu paints a complex picture of an Asian Pacific American experience. Her portraits speak powerfully to those seeking a better life, in the United States and elsewhere. "-taken from back cover.