Kenji Liu

As an artist and experienced arts administrator and project manager, I bring over 25 years of expertise to creating and realizing art and cultural projects. I am also a graphic designer, educator, and painter. My practice focuses on overlooked individuals and histories, telling stories through figure, clothing, textile patterns, environment, and cultural symbols. As an Asian American immigrant and artist of color, I am committed to reflecting the power, resilience, and dignity of immigrant communities, particularly Asian and Latinx/e residents and workers. With a background in creative placekeeping work in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, I ground my process in archival research, observation, and community discussion. I begin with historical research, then engage directly with community members to ensure the work resonates with lived experience and cultural context. My method combines strong design skills, community ties, and practical project management. This approach allows me to deliver artwork that is not only visually compelling and socially grounded, but also on time and relevant to its audience. A recent example is my mural for Mitsuru Grill and Sushi in Little Tokyo. Commissioned after downtown protests led businesses to board up windows, I collaborated with the owner to paint eight-foot-high acrylic portraits of his father and two sisters. The owner loved them so much he left the portraits up long after other businesses took down their boards. In addition, I completed two public art commissions for Windows of Little Tokyo, designing vinyl window art for the neighborhood branch of the library and a 1st Street storefront. These projects demonstrate my ability to create high-quality, site-specific works that respond to the community.