He moved to Guilin to teach in 1985, where he was touched by a different view of nature, the gentleness of the meandering rivers and the haunting power of the rocky, mountainous terrain.

During his time at college, Liu was not only trained to be a painter, but he also studied design under several professors of Chinese folk arts and crafts.

This ignited his interest in folk culture and set another tone for his work, where he often wove elements of folklore, local customs and the decorative patterns of the ethnic groups in Yunnan and Guangxi into his works.

Liu says it was in the rainforests of Yunnan and between the mountains and waters of Guangxi that he has found the pulse of his art and his identity as someone who found freedom in painting.

"When I draw on paper the twisted tree trunks of the rainforests, or the extraordinary curves of the piles of rocks, I am, in fact, painting the toil and the joy I've been through.

"Together they complete a profile of my temperament, revealing my true passion of life," Liu says.

Su Dan, the exhibition's curator, says the pursuit of freedom defines Liu's path in life and forms the basis for his more diverse approach to painting, as reflected in his bold yet composed palette, and the free, elegant strokes depicting his works.