Experimental Relationship

Every relationship is an experiment. But New York based Chinese artist Pixy Liao started an art project for her experiment with her Japanese boyfriend Moro. Experimental Relationship vol.1 is a photo book with a collection of photos from 2007-2017, the first decade of Pixy-Moro relationship.

What happens when a man and woman flip the power and sex roles set by a traditional heterosexual relationship? This question resides at the center of Pixy Liao’s work. A Brooklyn-based artist from China, Liao was born in Shanghai, and when she was growing up, she was told that an ideal romantic partner would be someone who was older and more mature, someone who could protect her and be her mentor. But when she met her current husband, Moro, who was five years younger, she had to reconsider her concept of what a relationship looked like. When one of Liao’s Chinese friends suggested that she had chosen a boyfriend who was “younger, prettier and obedient”, her reaction was “Damn right! That’s exactly what I am doing, and why not?!”

“As a woman brought up in China, I used to think I could only love someone who is older and more mature than me, who can be my protector and mentor. Then I met my current boyfriend, Moro. Since he is 5 years younger than me, I felt that whole concept of relationships changed, all the way around. I became the person who has more authority & power. One of my male friends even questioned how I could choose a boyfriend the way a man would choose a girlfriend. And I thought, ‘Damn right. That’s exactly what I’m doing, & why not!” — Pixy Liao

“I started to experiment with this relationship. I would set up all kinds of situations for Moro and I to perform in the photos. My photos explore the alternative possibilities of heterosexual relationships. They question what is the norm of heterosexual relationships. What will happen if man & woman exchange their roles of sex & roles of power. Because my boyfriend is Japanese, and I am Chinese, this project also describes a love and hate relationship.” — Pixy Liao

Pixy plans to continue this project as long as she’s together with Moro. Let’s wish for a long lasting project with vol.2, vol.3, vol.4…