Chronicle of Polari
Size: Variable Size
Materials: 35mm Negative Film
Year of work: 2024
Description:
How do we survive a world that refuses to see us?
This work celebrates resistance in all its vivid, unapologetic forms. Named after the coded language used by the queer community in post-war Britain, Chronicle of Polari honours those who live on the margins with courage, style, and defiance. Liu’s subjects shine like signals in the dark, bodies in motion, blazing with colour and pride, refusing to be hidden.
Shot on film and printed with care, the images revel in contrast: vulnerability and strength, glamour and grit. These are portraits of survival, joy and protest. Liu frames identity as both performance and truth, something fierce, something fluid, something always becoming. The work does not just document; it uplifts, reminding us that living visibly is a radical act.