ABOUT&CONTACT
Statement:
Penghang’s practice examines the missing and lost parts of our life, which have left traces in our memory and drive us to return to then repeatedly, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Through his use of light as a medium, he focuses on the visible yet untouchable nature of light. In his works, the gradually fading rays of light resemble the things that continue to linger in our memories: we can feel their presence in the depths of our minds, but they can never be touched. Penghang’s art practice contemplates the meaning of these unattainable things from the dimension of existence.
Circles and rings have frequently appeared in his recent sculptural works. These open holes, often situated at the visual center of the works, are largely influenced by his study on Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theories, especially the concept of ‘lack’, which is like a void area in our being: our desire is produced from here, and then circle around it as a vain and illusory complement to this void. In Penghang’s view, this essentially unfillable hole shapes a unique understanding of ‘space’ within his sculptures.
Exploring the sad beauty among the things cannot be touched, in Penghang’s art practice, whether it is the subtle and ambiguous light in his works or the holes occupying the viewer’s visual center, they all point to an unfillable lack. This is deeply rooted in his East Asian heritage, especially the reflection on ‘emptiness’ and ‘illusion’ in East Asian aesthetics.
His work has been exhibited internationally in many art institutes such as Today Art Museum in Beijing, D Contemporary in London, Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh and the Arsenale Nord in Venice. In 2025 he was selected as a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors in the UK.
Penghang Liu (刘鹏航）
Education:
MA Sculpture, Royal College of Art
BFA Experimental Art, Central Academy of Fine Arts
Group Exhibitions (Selected):
Being and Generating: Art Window Project, Today Art Museum, Beijing, 2026
The 199th Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 2025
Art Nova 100 Annual Exhibition, Futureland Art Center, Beijing, 2025
Maybe We Can Tangle and Reform, Lewisham Arthouse, London, 2025
Arte Laguna Prize Finalists’s Exhibition, Arsenale Nord, Venice, 2024
Manque, O bjet petite ‘a’, Greatorex St Gallery, London, 2024
Ruthin International Art Festival, Ruthin Castle, Wales, 2024
In the Emancipation of Self, D Contemporary, London, 2024
Thumb 2, Ladder Space, Copenhagen, 2023
Monophony, Royal College of Art & Royal College of Music, London, 2023
Everything is Temporary, 3 Locks Brewing Company, London, 2023
Experiencing a Significant Gravitas Shortfall, OrigiNature, Chengdu, 2021
The Building as a Ghost without a Shell, Hua International, Beijing, 2021
To Replace the Shining Stars, Building 23 Artist Community, Beijing, 2020
Evolution, Enjoy·Art Museum, Beijing, 2020
Awards:
Art Nova 100 (Finalist), Beijing, 2025, Venice, 2024
CREA Venice (Shortlist) and the Special Mention for the Quality of Research, Venice, 2025
18th Arte Laguna Prize (Finalist), Venice, 2024
Curation:
Ruthin International Arts Festival (Associated Curator), Wales, 2024
Contact:
Email: liupenghangart@gmail.com
Instagram: liu.penghang
WeChat: Liu-Penghang
