Photo Provided to China Daily

In February 2013, Liu had his first solo show in New York, at the Lehmann Maupin gallery. The exhibition was endorsed by the likes of Wendi Deng and Luo Zilin, a former Miss Universe China, who showered praise on the artist.

Exhibit showcases city's 60-year art history

Painting a legendary life

Chinese art dealer Josephine Hsieh, who owns the Azure Collection based out of Monaco and Zurich, first saw Liu's work over 10 years ago, and has been hooked since.

"He stands out because he is able to crystallize his conceptual work," she says.

"It's acute and instantly comprehensible, while his execution is precise and to the point. Compared with other Chinese artists, he's already successfully experimented with a variety of artistic expressions, and all within a decade."

Liu's latest work is perhaps best understood within the context of his existing work, which echoes the way he uses assemblage and accumulation.

"Everything I do has a very long-term view. It's not like, 'I'm here and doing this now'. I'm always considering the future-of what comes next. I am building on the process."

Laura Zhou, who heads up White Cube in Asia and who is originally from Shanghai, also agrees that Liu's work takes time.

"He is trying to establish his own system-one about visual art, philosophy and constructing frameworks," says Zhou.

"This is beyond how other artists create. If a collector is looking for the future, they have him. If a collector is looking for art that they can understand now, and which pleases them, perhaps they will find it difficult to understand Liu Wei. His work belongs to the future..

Ming Liu is a journalist for the Financial Times.