Rotterdam-based multidisciplinary artist Zhixin Angus Liao has been selected for the artist-in-residence program in Dresden. Liao currently lives and works in Rotterdam, Brussels and Guangzhou. Liao's diverse work includes videos, sculptures, installations and paintings, in which he explores the intersections between personal experiences, global identity and the material world.
During his residency in May and June of this year, he will delve into the sociological concept of “suspension” — the idea of belonging as a fluid, ongoing process of negotiation. Dresden, situated on the Elbe River near Poland and the Czech Republic, offers a unique context to investigate how borders shape historical and contemporary narratives. He will collaborate with local historians, comb through archives, and collect stories and folklore about the region’s ethnic and national border history.
Artist-in-residence program
The artist-in-residence program offers artists living in Rotterdam the opportunity to work in Dresden for two months. The program is a joint initiative of the Goethe-Institut Nederland, the Amt für Kultur und Denkmalschutz of the city of Dresden and CBK Rotterdam. Since 2025, the Rotterdam-based artist initiative Het Wilde Weten has been a partner of the project. In Dresden, the artist will be received by the C.Rockefeller Center for the Contemporary Arts in Dresden.
Photo: Dani Gherka