Liu Ye was born in Beijing in 1964. He graduated from Beijing School of Arts and Crafts in 1984 and Beijing Central Academy in 1989. The hard realities of Liu Ye’s youth led him to become fascinated with the imaginary world of fairy tales. “Fairy tales are illusioned and sensational whereas philosophy is about strict and rational thinking. My paintings ramble between these two opponent spheres”. Son of a children’s book illustrator, his works reflect a blend fantasy and reality in bright and vibrant colours. His characters, often young girls and boys in school uniforms with small bodies, are often highly erotically charged. After his training in China, he lived in Europe, in Berlin and notably as an artist in residence in Amsterdam. There he was influenced by works by Mondrian and Vermeer.