French curator Jérôme Sans and Chinese artist Liu Xiaodong talk about Xiaodong’s exhibition Painting as Shooting at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, Italy. On view for three months during the 56th Venice Art Biennale, the show reveals how Xiaodong approaches his work with the eyes and the storyboard practice of a filmmaker. His daily diary entries, the photos he takes, and the people he meets come to life in his paintings—his subjects play lead roles in paintings that depict contemporary life in unsettled environments the world over.

Sound Editor: Kris McConnachie | Images courtesy Faurschou Foundation