By: Isabella Nicastro, Curation and Artist Liaison at Partial
As part of our ongoing commitment to highlight the incredible talent within the Partial community and from coast-to-coast, Partial’s first 2026 homepage banner spotlight features artists Kai Liu and Heather J. A. Thomson.
Kai Liu is a Vancouver-based Chinese- Canadian artist. Liu received professional printmaking training from Langara College and earned a BFA from Emily Carr University, where he also received an MFA. Liu has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions across Western Canada and is currently developing a project with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts Project Grant (Research and Creation) entitled Innovating Chinese Printmaking: Contemporary Praxis.
Liu’s work features semi-abstract depictions of urban landscapes and everyday items, specializing in collagraph techniques that blend Eastern and Western art cultures. His art reveals the hidden beauty in ordinary objects and explores the innate aesthetic qualities of the world around us. Most notable perhaps is his Witness, Elements, Earth, Rock series of paintings. In these paintings, there is a compellingly intricate studies of rocks and the natural environment with such vivid detail and vibrancy that one would be tempted to simply reach out and expect to feel the texture of these forms. What many would consider to be stagnant subject matter is imbued with new life in Liu’s work.
24″ x 30″. Currently available for purchase here.
22″ x 30″. Currently available for purchase here.
Liu’s approach involves using his artistic language to abstract the interwoven layers of the natural and built environments, merging printmaking visual vocabulary with painting. His work has been exhibited across Canada, and he was the featured artist for 2023 in the Art Rental and Sales Program at the Vancouver Art Gallery. Additionally, he has been a teaching assistant at the Emily Carr Print Media studio. Through his practice, Liu shares his expertise and promote responsible and respectful engagement with diverse art communities.
Heather J. A. Thomson is a GTA-based artist that received her BA from the University of Guelph in 2017. Thomson was awarded the 2017-2018 Don Phillips Scholarship at Open Studio, Toronto. She was a Printmaking & Publications Class Assistant at OCAD University from 2019 – 2023 and is currently an Instructor & Custom Printer at Open Studio.
Thomson’s practice amalgamates a passion for history and research using printmaking as a visual language. Her pieces are a culmination of research and visual study that adhere to a central question or concept, a driven exploration of highlighting small bits of physical history that are often forgotten in favour of contemporary aesthetics currency and banknotes. Thomson feels conversations about the past inspire us to reflect on the present, question our values and challenge us to adopt historical methodologies for a more sustainable future.
A distinct style emerges in Thompson’s work that is unique to other prints of its kind, often blending the aesthetics of abstraction and close-cropped explorations of her specific subject matter with calligraphic symbols. Similar to Liu’s work, Thompson’s pieces highlight the intricate beauty in taking a closer look at the small details. With a hyper-focus on historical German Papiermark bills, documents, and the like, Thompson amplifies the weight of their physicality by honing in on the subtleties of their patterning. Harmonious colour palettes and balanced compositions draw the eye across the picture plane, encouraging audiences to spend time with the work with all of its’ subtle nuances.