The scene displayed in “the road of freedom towards the public offerings (300cm×400cm×4, 1600cm in total) is shocking. Thousands of people with fearful expression are running from the back of the picture towards the front. On the left of the painting there is a huge reclining Buddha surrounding by people. The clouds in the shape of tornado have been spreading all the time, creating a climate of tension and terror, as if a great catastrophe is coming... It is obvious that Yaming want to express his deep concern of the human fate through a metaphorical way. The great reclining Buddha and the person walking from the great distance (a “Jesus” or “God”?) are clearly spiritual symbols. The human being could never be stripped from its psychological refuge, or they will become the orphans losing the spirit patron.

 What is more incredible is that Yaming, by his intuition and premonition, has unfortunately proved a real catastrophic event! Not before the completion of the work, the Wenchuan earthquake took place! The things Yaming displayed in his painting one year ago have surprisingly become reality. It is as if that those desperate people facing the heaven with fear came from Wenchuan! As early as a year ago (exactly May 2, 2007), it is as if the artist was determined to sent this warning to the human being in advance. While unexpectedly, the painting has turned into a mental rehearsal of this disaster!

This is the first time Liu Yaming has held his solo exhibition in Beijing, therefore except displaying “the road of freedom towards the public offerings”, some works created during Liu Yaming’s career would also be displayed. Looking back the art journey of Liu Yaming, we can clearly identify in his pursuit of art a tendency of reflecting upon the ultimate problem of mankind and expressing the universal anxiety of human being.

Jia Fangzhou