She turned her love life into a 20-year photography project [NSFW]

For more than two decades, photographer Pixy Liao and her partner Takahiro Morooka have been using their relationship as a canvas for an artistic exploration of intimacy, power, gender, and the complexities of commitment. The Chinese-American photographer and her Japanese-born musician partner have created an extensive body of work that goes beyond traditional photography, incorporating color photographs, soft sculptures, music videos, and elements from their band, PIMO.

The exhibition, titled "Pixy Liao: Relationship Material," brings together around 45 works from the project and is currently on display at CPW in Kingston, New York. Originally organized by the Art Institute of Chicago, the exhibition has been expanded to include a more comprehensive representation of Liao and Morooka's unique approach to capturing their relationship.

In these self-portraits, Liao often takes on the roles of photographer, subject, and muse, subverting traditional gender roles and challenging conventional romantic imagery. The camera becomes an acknowledged third party in their relationship, negotiating posing, direction, location, and composition as part of the subject matter. The exhibition poses questions about the balance of power, representations of heterosexual relationships, and the evolving dynamics of committed partnerships.

While the photographs are playful and carefully directed, they avoid feeling solemnly conceptual. The project not only documents their relationship but also delves into themes of power, desire, and the ever-changing nature of love. Morooka, known as Moro, is not just Liao's partner but also a recurring model and co-conspirator in their artistic endeavors. Together, they create a body of work that pushes boundaries and invites viewers to question their own assumptions about relationships and art.