Art Issue #81

Jiaqi Liu is a visual designer and illustrator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her practice explores memory, loss, and gentle repair through geometric compositions, restrained palettes, and quiet light. Trained in design and working on product teams in biotechnology, she builds visual systems by day and develops narrative illustration series by night, including Memory Lake and The Fog of Memory. Her work has been recognized by international illustration awards, such as, 3X3, Communication Arts, and Indigo Design Award, and has appeared in exhibitions and artist publications.

Across print and digital media, Liu uses recurring metaphors—water, reflections, moon-like highlights, and soft thresholds—to evoke the tenderness of care and the fragments we try to preserve. She favors subtle textures, soft edges, and architectural calm, inviting viewers into a contemplative space rather than spectacle. Born in China and now living in California, her recent work reflects on mother-daughter bonds and the shifting landscape of memory in the context of Alzheimer’s.