Meet Kay Liu | Experimental Animator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kay Liu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kay, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always been excited about creating my own stories – I think I’ve always wanted to use art as a form of escapism. There’s something uniquely satisfying about putting your work into the world after putting so much time into it. I find that being able to do every aspect of my art practice myself is intensely rewarding, and I don’t think I can find that kind of excitement with any other career. Being someone who makes animated work and physical work, like books or zines, it is so exciting when I get to share that with other people. I think the sense of community that forms around the art world is really special, and so being able to make something that brings people together or asks questions is really cool. So, pursuing the arts lets me express my own stories and share them with others, and I find that to be really exciting to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started doing art when I was a kid. I was really focused on improving my skills as a traditional artist for a long time, doing painting and drawing. I went to SAIC for my undergrad and my interests and creative ideas immediately opened up. I was immediately drawn to animation and digital work, and spent the next four years making animated shorts, installation work, games, and ended my time there with a short film. Coming to CalArts, I have been more intensely focused on my experimental animation work, pushing mediums and other levels of creation I had never done before. The pandemic was really taxing for me as an artist – it took a long time for me to come back around to doing work that wasn’t all digital. But I’m finally at a point where I can work more freely with as much stuff as I can, and I think that’s really exciting.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There’s this Japanese restaurant called Daichan that’s in Studio City that I love, but it’s always packed, so you have to go there right when they open if you want a seat. I’m also a huge fan of any of the museums in the city, but the Museum of Jurassic Technology is one of a kind and a really cool place to go, especially if you don’t know what’s in store there.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There’s too many people I would want to dedicate this shoutout to – but I would have to start with Elise Olson. She’s helped me through everything and been my biggest supporter from day one, and I don’t think I would be making work like I do if it weren’t for her. But I’d also like to recognize my friends at CalArts, especially within my cohort. Ayden and Jared have been some of my biggest inspirations in my time in grad school, and I’m especially glad for them. They both make amazing work, and I think they’re both immensely talented.

Website: https://www.kayliu.co/

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