Photographer and her muse I, 2014
Pixy Liao. Courtesy of the artist. © Pixy Liao.
For the past 18 years, artist Pixy Liao (廖逸君) has collaborated with her partner, Takahiro Morooka (諸岡高裕, nicknamed Moro), on a series of staged self-portraits. These often funny photographs document the evolution of the couple’s relationship, examine the power dynamics between artist and muse, play with expressions of physical intimacy, and prod at conservative gender roles. Their collaborations have expanded over the years to include sculptures and installations as well as music, which they perform as the duo PIMO.
To celebrate the opening of Pixy Liao: Relationship Material, Pixy and Moro will join assistant curator Yechen Zhao in a conversation about the evolution of this artistic and romantic partnership. The conversation will be followed by a musical performance by PIMO.
This Hugh Edward Lecture is supported by the Crossed Purposes Foundation Fund.
About the artists
Pixy Liao (廖逸君) works in photography, installation, and performance to create artworks that undermine patriarchal stereotypes in a heterosexual relationship, humorously revealing myriad ways of being together.
Takahiro Morooka (諸岡高裕, nicknamed Moro) is a Japanese artist and musician. With Pixy, they have collaborated on photographs and the music project PIMO, releasing six albums to date.
about the curator
Yechen Zhao is assistant curator in Photography and Media at the Art Institute of Chicago. He specializes in 20th-century American photography and East Asian photography during the Cold War and its aftermath.
If you have any questions about programming, please reach out to museum-programs@artic.edu.
Closed captioning will be available for this program. For questions related to accessibility accommodations, please email access@artic.edu.
