Liu Xiaodong (b. 1963 in Jincheng, Liaoning Province, China) lives and works in Beijing. 

He is best known for his involvement in a new generation of Chinese realism characterised by the need to break free of historical or propagandistic motifs to express stronger emotions. Xiaodong is in search of scenes that are part of life. Looking for people’s everyday existence, he depicts moments and stories from contemporary human life showing an extraordinary empathy, capturing not only the characters but also their environment. His practice tackles contemporary social issues including migrant displacement, environmental crisis, living conditions of the less fortunate and the results of ill-politics and economic disruption.