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February Issue 2006
Looking Back Before Looking Forward an Interview with Nina Liu
by Michael Haga
Nina Liu and Friends, at 24 State Street, in the historic Poinsett House, a fixture in the Charleston, SC, art world, is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2006. Because the successful completion of twenty years of operation is a significant milestone for any business, I met with gallery owner Nina Liu on Jan. 11, 2006, to discuss her two decades in Charleston.
MH: Where were you living before you moved to Charleston, and what were you doing there?
NL: I lived in Iowa City, IA, for nine years before coming to Charleston. I was enrolled in a graduate program at the University of Iowa in my last years there. Before moving to Iowa City I had lived in New Orleans, LA, where I had a gallery called Alternatives, for nine years. At Alternatives we had exhibits and offered art classes. I also started an arts program in the New Orleans public school system, and the school in which I was working became a school of the arts.
MH: Why did you decide to move to Charleston?
NL: Fred Andrus, a friend who will be 100 years old next week, suggested that I move here to make it easier for him to obtain my work. His family operated The Quilt Shop behind Baker's Café, and a friend of mine in New Orleans had convinced the family to carry my work - sight unseen. My work sold well, so they kept ordering more! I came to Charleston for a show in late March of 1985 and was taken by the city. Not only was it beautiful, but it smelled wonderful because of all of the spring flowers. That was when I said to myself "some day I am going to live here." In 1986 everything fell into place when I looked at this building and said "this is my house."
MH: The Charleston City Paper has named you Queen of the Arts in Charleston. Why do you think that paper used that title for you?
NL: I don't know, but it made me laugh! I suppose that it may have been because I was involved in arranging the first gallery walks that evolved into the Art Walks. It is important to remember that cooperation among the artists and galleries was what made that venture successful.
MH: How has interest in contemporary art changed since you first opened Nina Liu and Friends?
NL: There was a very positive climate for fresh ways of looking at things through the 90s. There is still a lot of room for contemporary things.
MH: How do your artists respond to Charleston and its surroundings?
NL: Those from elsewhere love coming to Charleston, and many have given back their observations through their work. For example, Michael Johnson developed a full portfolio of Charleston images and had a show at the Gibbes. Sharon Burns Knutson comes here regularly to work. Some, like Jocelyn Chateauvert and David Puls, have moved to Charleston!
MH: What is your fondest memory as far as the operation of Nina Liu and Friends is concerned?
NL: There are very many fond memories, but probably the one that tickled me the most was when The New York Times carried an article about the gallery in my second year of operation. I still work with wonderful collectors based on that article. Another fond memory is of a student at MUSC who came to every opening to look at the art but always said that she could not buy anything because she was a poor student. The great thing is that she had developed a very specific collection of her favorite works in her head. Once she was established, she came back to the gallery and began buying things by each of the artists whose work she had so admired.
MH: What has been your greatest challenge as the proprietor of Nina Liu and Friends?
NL: Making it fresh and exciting all of the time.
MH: What has been your greatest challenge as a working artist in Charleston?
NL: Finding time to do both, that is to make my work and to manage the gallery.
MH: What work of art do you regret not having purchased for your personal collection?
NL: I really don't have any regrets because when a favorite piece has gone to someone else, it always has been a perfect match for that person. There is a sculpture by Aggie Zed called Anesthesia that someone from Spartanburg purchased several years ago. Every time they move, they send a postcard to me to let me know where Anesthesia is. I think that it is in Indonesia now! That piece has stayed very alive for me.
MH: What work of art are you most happy to have purchased for your personal collection?
NL: Every one of them.
MH: What advice do you give to your collectors when they debate making a purchase?
NL: I usually suggest that they walk away and buy it only if it follows them and stays alive after they have left it behind. Almost always they know that it will be the right thing for them to purchase.
MH: What mistakes do you see collectors making as they develop their collections?
NL: (There is a long pause.) They don't make mistakes if they truly love the things.
MH: What are you planning for the future?
NL: This year will be a year of retrospective shows. I will be looking back before looking forward.
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