Here and Now: Gold Coast Triennial 2024 Digital Gallery
Michael Liu
b.1984 Taipei Taiwan, lives Gold Coast QLD
Breakfast Nostalgia, 2023
photographic print
Image courtesy of the artist
Artist Statement
My photography features sneakers, food, and the concept of "deliciouskicks" - a meeting place of pop art, street culture, and nostalgic flavour.
I'm particularly interested in how memory can awaken emotion when we stumble onto something from long ago, and how it strangely recreates a moment of taste, smell, and feeling - the texture or flavour of a childhood meal, suddenly experienced in a photograph. Capturing that phenomenon and evoking it in the viewer is a central element to the "deliciouskicks" concept.
About the Artist
Michael J. Liu is a Taiwanese-Australian contemporary artist, painter and photographer. Born in Taipei, he was raised and educated on the Gold Coast, Australia from age five.
Since 2015, Michael's photography has explored the fast-growing culture of sneakers and streetwear through his culinary concept "deliciouskicks." By staging sneakers as a menu item on a dining table, he interposes elements of fine dining aesthetic with contemporary sneaker design. A longtime sneaker collector, Michael seeks to highlight the unique flavour and personality in each sneaker design, echoing how a chef features ingredients and flavours in creating a recipe.
As the originator of "deliciouskicks", Michael has collaborated with companies like Nike, Adidas, and Puma in worldwide advertising campaigns. In addition to photography, Michael is a painter, and his works focus on colour and emotion, exploring nostalgia by depicting common items in abstract ways. Michael's paintings have been exhibited in Japan, the USA and Taiwan.
