A selection of new work by Beijing-born, New York-based artist Lyn Liu, including paintings from her recent solo exhibition, “H-Dropping,” with Kasmin Gallery in Mexico City. Liu has studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York, Columbia University’s School of the Arts, as well as l’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Her cinematic tableauxs address psychological tensions and relationships between individuals, often drawing from personal experiences of alienation and what she considers our oppressive social reality.

“H-Dropping” is an exploration of the uncanny and features depictions of contradictory or nonfunctioning states of being. Her work is inspired by the linguistic quirk of dropping the sound of a consonant in certain dialects and languages around the world. For example, in both English and French, regional and cultural distinctions often determine whether the letter “H” becomes obsolete in the pronunciation even if it appears in the spelling. Knowing when certain letters are unspoken becomes a marker of belonging. Similarly, in Liu’s paintings, the familiar blends with the absurd to capture moments of disconnect, specifically objects rendered unable to serve their intended purpose. The result is a disturbance that calls their very essence or existence into question. Liu also incorporates word play and misinterpretation to further a sense of unease and suspense.