03/11/21

AMES, Iowa — Work created for a graphic novel will be featured in Iowa State University graduate student Nan-Teng Liu’s master of fine arts thesis exhibition April 1–9 at the ISU College of Design.

Hours and reception

“Unforgotten” will be open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays in Gallery 181. A closing reception will be from 5–8 p.m. Friday, April 9, with a brief artist’s talk by Liu at 5:30 p.m. Guests will be required to wear face coverings and observe physical-distancing guidelines.

The show will feature Unforgotten, a digitally drawn graphic novel Liu adapted from a short story by Hannah Hoffman.

As a child, Liu says, he fell in love with Japanese manga like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Naruto. These inspired him to become an artist.

“Comics are a form of storytelling. Reading comic books gave me a moment to immerse myself into a fictional world filled with characters,” Liu said. “I have tried to immerse my audience with my graphic novel, Unforgotten. By choosing the necessary moments, composing panels thoughtfully and utilizing images and words seamlessly, Unforgotten tells the story.”

About the artist

Liu, who grew up in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and came to the United States to study in 2008, received a bachelor of arts in art and design with a minor in computer science from Iowa State in 2017. He is known for his character designs, illustrations and sequential art.

His work has been exhibited in group shows including “See You Again: A Transpacific Reminiscence” at the Octagon Center for the Arts in 2020 and the 2020 “Studies in Creativity Exhibit” at the Memorial Union Art Gallery, where his gouache painting, “Qilin Songzi (Qilin Brings a Child),” received an honorable mention.

Liu currently serves as an instructor for ArtIS 212: Studio Fundamentals: Computers. He will receive a master of fine arts in integrated visual arts from ISU in May. You can find him on Instagram @nantengliu.

Contacts

Nan-Teng Liu, Integrated Visual Arts graduate student, tonyliu802@gmail.com
Heather Sauer, Design Communications, hsauer@iastate.edu

-30-