Liu Xiaodong

Liu Xiaodong, born in 1963 in Liaoning Province, China, currently lives and works in Beijing and is a prominent figure among Chinese neo-realists. The two oval canvases created by the artist in 2012, during his stay in Italy, are part of a video-painting project titled *These Days, Very Happy*. “In cinema,” Liu Xiaodong says, “you can show all points of view. But in a painting, an artist has to choose just one, their own, and exclude all the others.” The canvases, intimate and evocative, seem to affirm a paradox. Despite being well-dressed and surrounded by an abundance of food, the women depicted have sad, desolate, and resigned expressions. Through his seemingly spontaneous brushstrokes, Liu Xiaodong, a key figure among the Chinese neo-realists of the 1990s, captures the essence of these women as they pose, with the camera circling around them. His art breathes life into their gaze, revealing how, despite their material wealth, there is nothing in their lives that can bring them a smile.