Artist: Yucen Liu
Exhibition: Metal Group Show
Media: Copper, Brass, and Sand
Gallery: LBSU School of Art, Gatov Gallery West
Website: None
Instagram: yucen_metalsmith

Yucen Liu is a third-year graduate student at California State University, Long Beach. Liu is a student in the School of Art working towards an MFA in 3D Media. Her focus is on metalsmithing and jewelry. She obtained her BFA at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Liu’s work explores the ideas of family, connection, and togetherness in her work. For the Metal Group Show in Gavto West Gallery, Liu showcased her artwork called, “Mom said if I accidentally ate a watermelon seed.”

Liu’s artwork was placed in the center of the gallery so it easily caught my attention when I walked in. The artwork was placed on a cubic display. In the photo above you see the head of a bear appearing from the black sand. On top, of the bear’s head, you see a flower starting to grow. The bear, sand, and flower are so shiny! The bear is made out of copper and has such great details on it. It’s around bear head with mouth, ears, nose, and eyes. The color of the bear is mostly bronze/gold like colors and black for eyes and inside the ears. It also has some strokes to mimic fur on the bear. The bear looks smooth while it is contrasted by the black sand. At first, I was confused by what it was since from afar it didn’t look like sand. Once I got close I saw the grain-like textures and the dark black color of it. This sand is around the bear so it seems like it’s popping out its head. On top of the bear’s head, there are four skinny stems made out of copper or brass. At the very top, some flowers were made in either copper or brass. The flowers are in the colors brownish-bronze, gold, and black. They also look shiny and have lined detail. The bear and flowers look like they were made to perfection and include every detail as if it were real.

Lui’s “Mom said if I accidentally ate a watermelon seed” is a narrative art piece, specifically a memory from her childhood and growing up in another country. Lui left her home ten years ago to pursue an education in the U.S. She is an only child, so the transition was hard. While she was growing up she felt very lonely, so her parents got her stuff animals as companions. The reason she chose to make a bear because animals give her a feeling of love, security, and family values. She sees a part of her home in these animals. Lui hasn’t seen her parents in about ten years so to fill in the blank she makes animal sculptures that reminds her of her childhood. It brings her back to those moments she had with her parents. Lui’s artwork is personal to her, but she also feels like she’s sharing her childhood memories with others who have similar stories like hers. The main message she wants to deliver with others is comfort. She wants her work to comfort people.

Overall, I enjoyed my first artist conversation experience. Every time I go into museums I always wondered what art piece meant. Now in this experience, I talked to the artist and got to know their work! Lui’s artwork resonated with me because I know what it’slike being away from your family. As a first-generation college student, I moved away from my family to go to CSULB. I can always find little things in the world that remind me of them. For example, every time I see the Los Angeles Lakers hat I think of my dad’s hat. The reason I gravitated towards it in the first place was its brightness and the bear looked friendly. I have always liked bears as a kid so I was amazed that someone made it out of copper. I love that she wants to comfort others with her work. I left the art exhibit with a warm and happy feeling.