Alfred's show Re-enchantment opens on August 7 at Outré Fitzroy along with the launch of his new book The Wanderer: The Art of Alfred Liu.
Designed in-house and published by Outré Gallery Press, The Wanderer is Alfred's debut book publication. Bringing together more than 100 works from the past seven years, it highlights Alfred’s delicate gouache and coloured pencil artworks. Released alongside Alfred’s first exhibition with Outré since 2023, The Wanderer offers a beautiful record of this important period in his practice.
Interview by Mel Parker. Images by Alfred Liu and Outré Gallery.
Your upcoming show is titled Re-enchantment - can you tell us more about the inspiration or story behind this title?
At first I was going to write a huge Kaczynski-ite rant but I had some time to think about it.
I think my title Re-enchantment is a challenge against the grey and pervasive rationalism of our time; everything can be explained by facts and logic. It leaves no room for the spiritual or the magical. I remember listening to something about Jung's conversations with a native american tribal chief named Mountain Lake, he believed that each morning he and his people by offering their breath when the sun rises as an act of gratitude,
it gives the sun (their Father) the power to complete his journey across the sky and if they didn't do this everyone in the world would be affected.
Rationally speaking it probably wouldn't have any effect on the earth's rotation around the sun but this belief gave them a sense of divine purpose and agency in their lives, I feel this is something that is lacking in our hearts today living in the rigidly systematized of world today.
I also think it's why aliens have become quite popular again, we yearn for mysteries and that there is something more than what we think we know. So this idea really inspired me - I wanted to make works that help myself and others who feel the same to use the ideas of fantasy not just as a form of escapism but as a lens to see the world in which we live in as something that is still mysterious, unexplained and spiritual, and to use that to create a tale of courage and magic in your own life.
I'll end it with this quote:
"Water, fire, air and dirt
Fucking magnets, how do they work?
And I don't wanna talk to a scientist
Y'all motherfuckers lying, and getting me pissed"
- Insane Clown Posse
What can our audience expect from this show? Was there a core inspiration for this new body of work?
There's paintings of distant lands, mysterious creatures and travellers.
Basically what I said above but each work explores the idea in its own way a little more in depth. One of my favourite works for the show, 'Memories of Love,' is done in the style of Egyptian hieroglyphs. I was looking at something with [my wife] Maria on Instagram and we discovered this cute minor Egyptian deity named Medjed. From that I wanted to make a painting about some of the memories of my life with Maria.
Although it's mostly ordinary everyday scenes I think there is something really special about those moments in life. It's like those old sumerian tablets that were just complaint letters written about the quality of copper.
Since you first started showing your work you’ve had multiple solo exhibitions, participated in many group shows, made pins, sculptures, and now a book. How has life changed since you started out? Are there increased pressures now that you’re an established artist, and how have you navigated them?
The last couple of years have been quite eventful in that I had to adjust certain things in my life, so I haven't been quite as diligent in my work as in the past. But everyone around me and especially the galleries such as Outré have been so kind, understanding and most of all patient with me as I get back up on my feet.
But before that, pressure has always steadily increased alongside my personal growth so when the time came I always felt ready for the task but also challenged by it. Every exhibition I'm in I want to show that there is growth in my fundamentals and technique, so that you kind of end up outside your comfort zone trying new things which makes the work take longer because you're figuring things out.
Although sometimes it can be quite hectic and I've run into problems saying yes to too many things. It's important to remember every opportunity is a blessing and you have to put your heart into it.
Where did the world of the Karzeleks first come from? Do you recall when you first came up with the world, or the red-cloaked character?
The idea of Karzeleks came from dwarves as Karlezeks are small spirits that live in mines that guard precious gemstones in Slavic folklore.
I was thinking about dwarf rabbits and I didn't want to do the usual Norse/Celtic style that dwarven culture is usually based upon. I wanted to try to come up with something a little bit different but still based off of something that has a deep history and culture.
The little red cloaked rabbit is not really a self insert or anything but he is a wanderer and adventurer like Conan the Barbarian that explores this world and it's through his eyes that we see it.
The universe of the Karzeleks seems to be endlessly expanding, drawing inspiration from folklore from around the world. Have you got more civilisations in mind to add?
For this show I have added Persians and I want to explore more Mesoamerican cultures, I have one piece of that for the show called 'Camayos of the Cloud Jungle' but I want to develop that even more. I want my red cloaked rabbit to go everywhere in the world but also explore ancient dead civilizations and peoples like the Scythians and outer world ones like in Lovecraft stories such as 'Shadow out of Time.' Hopefully next time!
The works are often imbued with symbology of characters traversing from location to location. Are the individual works interconnected in your mind? How do you conceptualise and visualise the next work?
One of my favourite artists is Jean Giraud, I remember he said something in one of his interviews that was like "When I draw Blueberry I'm Jean Giraud and when I draw Sci-Fi I am Moebius". I found that inspiring, you have to put yourself in the world you're making in a sincere manner. It also helps you build further upon the ideas because you start to think about other parts of a scene and then from that you can make new works and develop the ideas further and much deeper.
Since our last interview you’ve become a father - congratulations! How are you finding this new chapter of your life? Have you found this has impacted your approach to your practice, and have you been inspired by all these new experiences?
Thank you! It's been an adjustment there's been quite a few events that have happened - moving overseas, renovating an old house we bought - which has all been exciting but also has its challenges. It all kind of happened together simultaneously plus work.
So it's been an adjustment but you do learn to adapt and you have to hold onto the good things each day and have a sense of gratitude which I dont always do well. So for the last couple of years every evening me and Maria write five things each we are grateful for that day, it's really nice.
It's wonderful to watch a tiny meatball that rolls around grow into a little person. He now loves cars and loves to tidy up so I'm super proud of him haha and it's a lot cooler when they can talk to you haha.
You draw a lot of inspiration from games, even in your show titles such as 2020’s RPG. What is it about video games that resonate with you? Are there any favourites that have influenced your work in particular that you keep returning to?
I love the Final Fantasy games. You feel this sense of grand adventure and they take you to all sorts of places. I especially enjoy the FF tactics games with the isometric view which also reminds me of Real Time Strategy games like Age of Empires or some kind of old simulation games like Emperor and Rollercoaster Tycoon, I loved those. It was like looking onto a miniature world and you get to build it. Games have decent stories, they are never as good as a book or anything but being able to interact with the world is really something special and gameplay is king.
I was also obsessed with World of Warcraft, so much so that I met Maria in 2011 playing it and now we have a kid. So gaming holds a special place in my memories and really inspires my work.
The isometric nature of your work makes the viewer feel as if they are looking down on the scene. Is this viewpoint something that you consciously decide in your work or is it more of an intuitive process?
I just really like the angle because firstly it reminds me of the games I loved playing when I was younger and secondly it's an homage to old Chinese paintings which I loved when I was a kid. I loved how both of these gave you a detailed view of the world that was being depicted. I also love the more conventional 1 point and 2 point perspective, they are much more atmospheric but I think isometric has a more decorative quality like a beautiful object. I don't know how to really explain it but isometric art has the feeling of a thing rather than of a place.
You have an impressive book collection - do you find yourself turning to it frequently for reference or inspiration? Are there favourite titles you keep coming back to?
I always do especially if there is something I’m unsure about how to draw or a bit empty on inspiration. I always have my Alphonse Mucha and Akihito Yoshida books out as those two are my greatest inspiration and encourages me to keep improving.
I never have really have time to read novels so I just listen to fiction on Audible while I’m working haha. However I do read two pages of instructional books everyday. Right now I’m reading How to Render by Scott Robertson every morning before I start work.
What inspires and motivates you to keep going over long stretches of producing new work?
Haha, probably fear and deadlines.
But in all seriousness and this sounds cringe in a "I studied the blade" (google it) kind of way but you kind of have to "gamify" your work. In my mind my mate who does my frames at United Measures is like a legendary armorsmith who makes sure my work is protected but also it's masterfully crafted and elegant.
When I practice my technique, that's me leveling up and learning new stronger abilities and each work I make is a defeated opponent and how well were they dispatched. Other artists are other warriors on a battlefield and we aren't necessarily fighting each other but if I see another artist who is amazing I'm also inspired to train harder.
It sounds cheesy but these little narratives you make for yourself keep you going, you don't have to tell anyone. It can be the saga of your life's work.
How do you healthily sustain your creative energy during these long stretches of activity? Do you have any routines that you engage in to get the creative juices flowing?
Being hyper aware of how many hours you actually work is super important. I have a timetable of sorts. It isn't fixed like a normal timetable. I basically write down on a chart about how much work I've done in one block in one hour. So at the end of the day I can look back and review if I actually was productive today. There's other blocks in there too like naps, couple's time and chores, etc. This way you can keep yourself accountable, truthfully speaking you will not enjoy it everyday, but you do have to be present.
I don't really think inspiration or creativity always comes out of nowhere, it's about sitting down and making the work and it becomes like a snowball that grows and grows sometimes that snowball falls apart and you gotta roll another one.
Thanks for chatting to us, Alfred! See you at the show!
Re-enchantment opens at Outré Fitzroy on Friday August 7 from 5pm. Sign up to our mailing list to get the full show preview at 7am AEST Monday August 3, plus all the updates on The Wanderer and more.
