'Liu Xiaodong: Host' published by Lisson

30 July 2026

For Liu Xiaodong’s (born 1963) latest painterly journey, he traveled to Detroit in the middle of winter, translating to his canvases the life of John, a tattoo artist and member of a renowned local medieval-style fighting team. Xiaodong’s empathetic and wistful paintings portray industrial and suburban Detroit through the lens of one of its denizens.

For his first exhibition at Lisson Los Angeles, Liu Xiaodong visited another American city last year, focusing his documentation of a stay in Detroit on a single, central focus for the first time in his career. His sole subject is John Mcintyre, a Detroit-based tattoo artist and member of a local medieval fighting team, who is variously depicted by the artist in full armor, mid-battle in a snowy forest, or else at home, relaxing in a hot tub. The concentration of this painting project on one man, the host and conduit for all of the artist's interactions with the city, leads Liu to portray industrial and suburban Detroit through the lens of John and his loyal band of brothers.

Edited by Todd Bradway and Ossian Ward
Book design by Emma Singleton
Copy Edited by Anna Drozda
Translated by Marco Betelli
Printed and bound by Faenza Printing Spa, Italy