Fangmeng Liu (b. 2000) is a conceptual artist from China, currently based in London. She completed her Master’s degree at the Royal College of Art and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Peking University in 2022. Her work spans installations, moving images, and other forms, weaving together a rich tapestry of philosophical exploration and artistic expression.

Drawing from her philosophical background, Liu’s work focuses on the paradoxes and dilemmas of the human will. Her research examines the contradictions that arise when intentions produce outcomes opposite to what was desired. She explores this theme through scenarios such as active forgetting becoming a form of remembering, the pursuit of self-control leading to akrasia (acting against one’s better judgment), and anti-traces serving as traces. These paradoxical situations highlight the complexity and unpredictability of the will, revealing how actions intended to achieve or avoid certain results can unintentionally lead to the opposite outcome.

Liu’s installations - including static pieces, interactive works, kinetic sculptures, and large-scale projects, serve as extensions of the human will, transforming abstract intentions into physical form. Through a documentary-like approach, she recreates counterproductive scenarios to expose the vacillations and frailties inherent in human intention. By doing so, she captures the irony and self-mockery embedded in the human experience, where the will is often entangled in its own contradictions and failures.

As a conceptual artist, Liu integrates philosophical poetics, aphoristic writing, and installation art into a unified practice. Her work addresses the conflict between desire and reason, akrasia, and broader existential questions like determinism, fate, and luck. Through her art, Liu not only explores these philosophical issues but also engages with contemporary art discourse, offering a nuanced reflection on the paradoxical nature of human existence and the complexities of intention.

NO ENTRY! COUNTERPRODUCTIVE SITUATIONS WARNING!

This installation features 100 bricks, each printed with a counterproductive situation - a term coined by the artist to describe scenarios where the intent to achieve a specific outcome inadvertently causes the opposite result. Arranged in a square, the bricks symbolise the failure of will, representing a space where any attempt to intervene only leads to failure.

The bricks' material nature suggests that this barrier is not naturally occurring but constructed from personal experience, mythology, literature, news, and anecdote. They serve as both a roadblock and a signpost, marking the artist's exploration of the paradoxes of will.

No Entry! Counterproductive Situations Warning!

Fangmeng Liu, 2024

Installation

PILLS

The work 'Pills' examines the conflict between intention and action, reflecting the artist's personal struggle with akrasia. Liu collected 180 of her own smoked cigarette butts and arranged them within 12 empty Wellwoman blister packs, mimicking a new set of pills. This juxtaposition humorously exposes the stark contradiction between her health-conscious intentions and her actions, capturing the persistent failure of willpower.

Pills, Fangmeng Liu, 2024

Installation

THE SEVEN METERS OF MY VACILLATION

The installation visually represents the vacillation of will, swinging between quitting and relapsing, reflecting the conflict between intention and action. The cumulative sentences, stretching seven meters, humorously highlight the artist's ongoing struggle and the paradox of willpower.

The Seven Meters of My Vacillation, Fangmeng Liu, 2024

Video

The Seven Meters of My Vacillation, Fangmeng Liu, 2024

Installation

UNDER THE CLOCK

This self-generating installation, powered by Arduino, features an array of sunflowers that grow and move in random patterns when no people are present. When an infrared sensor detects people, the sunflowers switch to a uniform growth mode. Any sunflower deviating from this uniformity draws attention from onlookers.

The installation symbolizes the "social clock" - a societal pressure that influences and disciplines individual choices throughout life, highlighting the tension between individuality and conformity under social scrutiny.

Under the Clock, Fangmeng Liu, 2022

Interactive Installation

Images: © Fangmeng Liu, Courtesy of the Artist