Liu Xiaodong: Host

For the epic scene of armed combatants in a blizzard, entitled Snowlight in Detroit (2025), John is seen with his fellow fighters from a club called Knyaz USA, named after a Medieval Reenactment club from Ukraine who share the red sun livery and sigil. Joining in 2019, John competes with his team in a competitive, full-contact sport known as Buhurt or Historic Medieval Battles, in leagues and world tournaments, where opponents aim to strike blows with blunted steel weapons, with strict rules and regulations on engagements that can feature up to 30 fighters on each side. The painter can be seen wearing a blue jacket in the background, seemingly lost in his own world, while those around him are threatened with losing their heads.

John is portrayed in multiple scenarios, either in full combat gear or stripped to the waist but emblazoned with tattoos, sporting a different kind of bodily armor. He is seen both at work – in the piece titled Body (2026), inking his designs across the clients’ torso and legs – and at rest – lounging in the hot tub for Backyard (2025). Even in the heat of the battle, Liu’s main subject is recognizable with his axe, shield and chainmail, seemingly stepping out of the twenty-first century into a pre-Raphaelite fantasy or a medieval war zone as painted by Paolo Uccello or Piero della Francesca.

Rather than heroicizing this painted knight, Liu considers the importance of outsiders and individuals in society, as well as the communities and camaraderie that both create and encircle any one person. There is also a recognition that everyone employs one form of armor or outward protection in times of isolation or when threatened by external forces. A new documentary film and catalogue will accompany the show, featuring Liu’s diary and preparatory drawings, as well as folkloric illustrations and tattoo designs by his sitter.