Trained both as an architect and art historian, An Te Liu works across a number of different media. Site and space are key materials for Liu as he explores issues of function, dysfunction and cultural coding in our domestic and urban environments. Using a range of artistic strategies, he reveals unsuspected cultural resonances embedded in everyday found materials. By repurposing common household items, Liu points to new readings for these items and their wider social implications. Cloud, 2008, is an assemblage of 136 domestic use air purifiers, ionizers and dehumidifiers hung in formation above the viewer's head, highlighting household consumption. The installation was shown at the 11th Venice Biennial of Architecture in 2008. He produced Title Deed, 2009, for the site-specific Leona Drive Project in the Willowdale district of Toronto. For this project he painted a disused house green, making it reminiscent of a piece from the board game Monopoly. An Te Liu reworks site and space, while drawing on his substantial knowledge of the history of cultural production, design, architecture and his research into contemporary trends in consumerism. This interdisciplinary approach triggers a recognisable aesthetic throughout the artist's varied body of work. An Te Liu is Associate Professor in the Master of Architecture Program at the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto. 134 colour and b/w illustrations
