Originally hailing from San Francisco, Los Angeles based artist Kristen Liu-Wong doesn't hesitate to admit that what fascinates her are subjects considered by most to be taboo or "NSFW". Her candy-colored paintings play out complex scenes of figures often engaged in erotic acts of sex and violence that draw both horror and giggles from her audience. Among her inspirations, Liu-Wong cites 90s Nickelodeon cartoons, the intricate patterns of traditional American folk art and Native American pottery for specific motifs, and figurative artist Alex Katz, whose earlier Japanese woodcut inspired works can be seen in the way Liu-Wong composes her landscape of rowdy characters.