Born in 1964 in China, Qiangli Liang attended the Academy of Visual Arts in Guanzhou in 1989. A year later he moved to Holland where the tradition of Dutch Realism was to make a considerable impact on his already prolific career. The influences of Chinese and Dutch traditions have contributed to the distinct and precise language used by Liang in his works (both two and three dimensional).

Qiangli Liang has already produced a stunning collection of works including many oil paintings in the 'still life' genre, and, recently, a number of distinctive bronze sculptures.

Qiangli Liang is now recognised as a key player in the contemporary movement of the New Dutch Realist artists and a selection of his work can be viewed at the Mokum Gallery in Amstersdam.

Still Life (oil paintings) some examples are "Stilleven met Carel Fabritius," "Witte pioenroos en koffiemolen," "Stilleven met peren"

Qiangli Liang's still life paintings often depict objects such as bowls, fruits, flowers and books grouped centrally on a plain coloured table cloth. The settings seem to be functional rather than ornamental - often with a suggestion of unseen activity and hidden narrative.

The calm composition and soft lighting entice the viewer to examine the extraordinary descriptive detail of the painted surface and consider the deliberation of the setting.

These paintings are attractive and memorable and have already made an important contribution to New Dutch Realism.

'Zuidbuurt' is an impressive work by Qiangli Liang - a Dutch landscape in a contemporary watercolour style. In a vast flat green field on the right hand side of the picture a group of cows are grazing and casually glancing at the viewer. On the left side of the painting a straight road and dyke vanish to a point on the distant horizon where sunny white clouds hang in a strip of bright blue sky.

The top two thirds of the painting are filled with heavy, dark clouds gathering above this rural stillness; a cloud burst of rain seems imminent. This composition, with its extremely low skyline and huge expanse of sky making up the main area of the picture plane, is a direct homage to the Dutch landscape painters of the 16th and 17th century. The dramatic depiction of change of weather was often used by the Dutch Realists as metaphor for change of polictical or social climate. Because this painting has been executed in such an incredibly fresh and energetic manner, the viewer is caught in a timeless moment - aware of the Dutch Realists' tradition and implied meaning whilst at the same time faced with a bold contemporary statement which belongs entirely to the genre of New Dutch Realism.

'Falling' (bronze sculpture): Qiangli Liang's new bronze sculptures are captivating. The smooth figuration and portrayal of truncated arms allude to ancient Greek statues. The exact pose of the entire figure is not known and so the viewer has, in effect, a partial view. The figure seems asleep and, as in dreams of falling, the body seems to be levitated - almost under a reverse gravitational pull.

'Baby (man)' (bronze sculpture): In this work the figure leans forward, again, as if existing in an altered gravitational setting. The baby figure is facing in the opposite direction to the man and doesn't appear to be being carried.
Enigmatic in meaning, this could be seen as a realisation of the passage of life.

These new sculptures are fascinating, the questions posed are timeless and remain unanswered. As with Liang's paintings, his sculptures are forming an important part of the contemporary genre of New Dutch Realism.