Before appearing at many of the world’s art galleries, Yang Liu’s “Ost trifft West” (the East meets the West) project began as a book. The idea came about in 2004, when Yang was working for the studio Chermayeff & Geismar in New York. Just for fun, the young graphic designer drew a series of drawings highlighting the differences between the East and the West. Yang was born in China but moved to Berlin when she was 13, so she has a keen understanding of both worlds. Yang produced 47 drawings treating different themes such as work, family and play. Her work is visually very striking and immediate, and humor is an important element.

What led you to create this exhibition?
Yang Liu: Originally, the series appeared in a book that was published in Germany last year. Then, when it came out, the book was copied and put on the Internet. My publisher and I were devastated. In two weeks, my work was on almost 2,000 websites all over the world. The silver lining was the publicity that I received: The German Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs asked me to put on an exhibition. I then chose 25 drawings and turned them into posters. This was the start of a journey that has now taken the project more or less all over the world.

Can you shed some light on some of your drawings? What differences are you evoking in the drawing entitled “Opinion”? (drawing 1)
Y.L.: In China, we don’t give our opinion directly. We take the feelings of the person we are talking to into consideration, and we avoid being negative towards that person. Sometimes, it can be extraordinarily difficult just saying “no”. In Europe, people don’t beat around the bush.

How do you see the notion of aparty? (drawing 2)
Y.L.: Parties in Asia are an opportunity for everyone to get together and, more importantly, to do something together. If there are 50 people at a party, they all join in on the same activity and do their best to talk and get to know each other. In Europe, people tend to stay in small groups that are not necessarily open to others.

What is this drawing saying about the elderly? (drawing 3)
Y.L.: Elderly people are often alone in the West. Contact and dialogue between generations is an enduring tradition in Asian countries. People are a lot more integrated in society, regardless of their age.