05/27/2026
Yuming “Griffin” Liu is a visual artist, sculptor, and educator whose work is shaped by a life marked by displacement and vertigo. Born into religious turmoil in Communist China due to his family’s spiritual affiliations, Liu experienced a nomadic upbringing across China and eventually around the globe. This journey, coupled with the constant clash of voices—from family, governments, and institutions, each claiming moral authority—infuses his practice with a profound sense of solitude and sorrow. Helplessly seeking inner peace in a chaotic reality, Liu constructs intricate scenes that blend poetic melancholy with dreamlike sensibility. His surreal miniature worlds reflect a quiet dignity in the face of institutional struggle, transforming personal trauma into delicate, emotionally resonant forms. Liu is a sculptor born and raised in China. He holds a BA from Kenyon College and recently completed an MFA in Sculpture at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught for two years. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Center of International Contemporary Art (Vancouver), LumiNoir Gallery (London), and Midwest Museum of American Art (Elkhart, IN). He has received several competitive honors, including the 2025 Outstanding Student Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award from the International Sculpture Center. Liu currently teaches at Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN. Jay Katelansky is an interdisciplinary artist based in Maryland. They received a BFA from Moore College of Art and Design and both an MA and MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Katelansky has received several awards, including the Chazen Museum Prize for Outstanding MFA Student. They have also exhibited at venues such as Canvas at Garver Feed Mill, Scope Art Fair, Memorial Union Gallery, and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
