Twenty-six photographs imbued with quiet strength

Liu Xia was born in Beijing in 1959. She is recognized as a significant figure in contemporary Chinese art as a poet, painter, and photographer, yet her works are currently banned from public exhibition in China. In 1996, she married Liu Xiaobo, a writer imprisoned for his pro-democracy writings. At the time of his Nobel Peace Prize award, Liu Xiaobo was in his fourth imprisonment, and his freedom remains restricted. Liu Xia is also under continuous house arrest.

The 'Power of Silence' exhibition, conceived to introduce her work to a wider audience, features 26 photographs that Liu Xia brought out of China before she was placed under house arrest. It has garnered significant attention through previous showings in various global cities, including New York, Berlin, and Barcelona. A photobook titled 'The Power of Silence,' containing these images, will also be available for purchase at the venue.



Liu Xia has continued to create, driven by a passion to express herself above all, to escape censorship, and to convey her feelings to her imprisoned husband. The pair of male and female dolls, which she refers to as 'ugly children' and which are captured in a monochrome world, can be seen as representing a couple enduring unjust pressure.

Pain and fear are evoked in every photograph. Yet, one cannot help but feel the underlying quiet strength, prompting reflection on the weight of freedom sought at the risk of one's life, and the cruelty of its deprivation.


Liu Xia: 'The Power of Silence' Exhibition
Dates | Friday, May 24 - Sunday, June 16 (Closed Wednesdays)
Hours | 11:30 - 20:00
Venue | Foil Gallery
Marble Building 3F, Sasayacho 1-519, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-0912, Japan
Tel. 075-451-6162
Admission | 300 yen (Free for junior high school students and younger)


Photobook 'The Power of Silence'
Photographs by Liu Xia
Size | 190 x 190 mm, 56 pages, softcover
Price | 1,365 yen