Available Works
Original paintings and fine art prints by Los Angeles artist Kenji C. Liu. Works draw from Asian American history, place, memory, and the built environment.
Featured Fine Art Prints
Suehiro Cafe, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
Fine art reproduction of my original oil painting of Suehiro Cafe, the longtime Japanese American restaurant in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo.
For more than five decades, Suehiro was part of the everyday life of the neighborhood—a gathering place for generations of residents, artists, workers, and visitors. I painted the restaurant as part of my ongoing work documenting places that hold community memory and reflect the changing landscape of Little Tokyo.
The original painting measures 6.25 × 9 inches.
Print details
• 11 × 14 inch fine art print
• Archival-quality giclée printing
• Printed on archival fine art paper
• Signed by the artist
• Open edition
• Unframed
• Printed locally in Los Angeles
The complete image is reproduced proportionally with a white border; the artwork is not cropped to fit the paper size.
Anna May Wong, 1924
Anna May Wong (Wong Liu Tsong) was the first Chinese American movie star in Hollywood and one of the most influential Asian American performers of the twentieth century. Born in Los Angeles and a United States citizen by birth, Wong nevertheless found herself subjected to the racialized immigration bureaucracy of the Chinese Exclusion era.
In 1924, while preparing to travel to Canada for a film production, Wong was required to undergo a government investigation to prove her identity and citizenship. Her immigration file, preserved in the U.S. National Archives, contains an application titled Application of Alleged American Citizen of the Chinese Race for Preinvestigation of Status. As part of the process, Wong was interviewed and required to provide sworn testimony from a white witness—the physician who attended her birth—to verify that she was, in fact, an American citizen.
This portrait is based on the headshot attached to that application. Elegantly dressed and wearing pearls, Wong presents herself with poise and confidence. Yet the image carries an underlying tension. Her expression appears direct, questioning, perhaps even amused by the absurdity of having to prove her citizenship despite being born in Los Angeles. The portrait invites viewers to consider the contradictions of a nation that celebrated Wong as a rising film star while simultaneously subjecting her to discriminatory policies rooted in exclusion and suspicion.
Part of an ongoing series of historical portraits recovering overlooked stories from Asian American history, this work explores how archival records reveal both personal resilience and the broader structures of race, citizenship, and belonging that continue to shape American life.
Print Details
Museum-quality giclée fine art print produced on smooth, acid-free, gallery-grade 220 gsm paper for exceptional detail and color reproduction.
Archival-quality giclée print
Smooth matte finish
Acid-free 220 gsm fine art paper
Available in four sizes
Suitable for framing and long-term display
Original Paintings
One-of-a-kind original works currently available.
"And Was Restrained of His Liberty" (Wong Kim Ark v. United States, 1898)
Wong Kim Ark was born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents and was a citizen of the United States by birth. After traveling to China, however, he was denied reentry upon his return and detained by immigration authorities, who argued that he was not entitled to citizenship despite being born on American soil.
His challenge to that decision resulted in one of the most consequential Supreme Court rulings in United States history. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), the Court affirmed that the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees birthright citizenship to nearly all individuals born in the United States, regardless of race or ancestry. The decision established a constitutional principle that continues to shape American law and debates about citizenship today.
This painting reflects on the human story behind that landmark case. Historical accounts often reduce Wong Kim Ark to a legal precedent, yet before he became a constitutional symbol, he was a person whose freedom, identity, and future were placed in question by the state. The title, drawn from the language of the court record, emphasizes the personal reality underlying the legal dispute: a man detained and deprived of his liberty while seeking recognition of rights that should have been his from birth.
Part of an ongoing series of speculative historical portraits, this work explores individuals whose lives and legal struggles helped define the contours of American citizenship, civil rights, and belonging. Through portraiture, the series seeks to recover overlooked stories from Asian American history and consider their continuing relevance in the present.
Artwork Details
Original oil painting on canvas
30 × 40 inches
One-of-one original artwork
Unframed
Signed by the artist
Limited-edition prints available
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha was a Korean American avant-garde interdisciplinary artist and writer. Her book Dictée is frequently taught in contemporary literature classes, including in women's literature and Asian American Studies. I wanted to start a portrait series of important legacy writers whose work has been influential to my own creative writing. This portrait is based on a photo of Cha taken in South Korea a few years before her murder in New York City.
Original oil painting on 16” x 20” stretched canvas. Comes signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Frame not included. Ships from Los Angeles, local pickup available.
Oil on stretched canvas
36” x 48”
An original expressive oil painting of a Chinese American woman sitting by an ancestral altar inside a red room. Part of an ongoing series about the San Gabriel Valley in Southern California. Signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Little Tokyo Towers
Acrylic on Yasutomo mineral paper
9” x 12”
2024
An original painting of the Little Tokyo Towers senior housing building in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Ships from Los Angeles. Local pickup available.
An Alleged Wife (Quok Shee in the Redwoods), 2025
Quok Shee was a Chinese immigrant who arrived in San Francisco in 1916 and was detained at Angel Island while attempting to join her husband in the United States. After more than twenty months of imprisonment and legal struggle, a federal judge ruled that immigration officials had abused their authority and withheld critical evidence, leading to her release in 1918. Her case, Chew v. White, Immigration Commissioner (1917), remains a powerful example of the barriers faced by Chinese immigrants during the era of exclusion.
This portrait is based on a mugshot from Quok Shee's immigration case file. The original photograph captures a woman enduring confinement while maintaining a remarkable sense of dignity. Her carefully arranged hair and composed expression suggest both resilience and self-possession in the face of uncertainty.
Rather than recreating the conditions of her imprisonment, I imagined Quok Shee in the redwood forests of Northern California. Surrounded by cool greens and blues, she is temporarily removed from the surveillance, confinement, and bureaucratic violence that shaped her experience. The painting offers a moment of rest and reflection—a speculative act of care for a historical figure whose story survives largely through government records.
This work is part of an ongoing series of historical portraits that recover overlooked stories from Asian American history and explore their continuing relevance to contemporary conversations about migration, citizenship, belonging, and civil rights.
Artwork Details
Original oil painting on recycled cotton canvas
30 × 40 inches
One-of-one original artwork
Unframed
Signed by the artist
Limited-edition prints available
The recycled canvas used for this painting helps reduce textile waste and requires significantly less energy to produce than traditional cotton canvas, reflecting a commitment to more sustainable studio practices.
Kwan Yin Side-Eye
Oil on canvas
30” x 40”
2024
Oil painting of a statue of the goddess Kwan Yin (Guanyin) sitting behind a variety of multicolored lotus flower lights, in a Buddhist supply shop in Los Angeles Chinatown. Signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Bon Odori
Acrylic painting on paper
12” x 12”
2024
An original painting on paper of a bon odori dancer. Obon (お盆) is the annual Japanese summer festival honoring ancestors, in which the dead are invited to return and visit. During bon odori, celebrants perform different folk dances.
Fine art signed with a certificate of authenticity. Frame not included.
Ships from Los Angeles. Local pickup available.
More Fine Art Prints
Mahmoud Darwish was a Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. Over his lifetime, he published 30 volumes of poetry and eight books of prose. I wanted to create a portrait series for collectors honoring legacy writers who have been crucial to my own development. For me, Mahmoud Darwish’s work is an important touchstone with lasting impact.
Limited edition 8 in. x 10 in. museum-quality giclée archival digital print on Epson cold press bright 305 gsm textured watercolor paper. Comes signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Frame not included. Ships from Los Angeles, local pick up available.
Other writers in this series: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and (coming soon) Agha Shahid Ali.
Other print sizes available here in open edition.
I wanted to create a portrait series for collectors honoring legacy AAPI writers who have been crucial to my own development. For many Asian American writers and artists, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s work is an important touchstone with lasting cultural impact.
Limited edition 8 in. x 10 in. museum-quality giclée archival digital print on Epson cold press bright 305 gsm textured watercolor paper. Comes signed with a certificate of authenticity.
Frame not included. Ships from Los Angeles, local pickup available.
Original painting also available.
Other writers in this series: Mahmoud Darwish and (coming soon) Agha Shahid Ali
Cards & Small Works
Suehiro Cafe (スエヒロ) was a beloved restaurant and community gathering place in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles for more than five decades. This artwork celebrates the warmth, familiarity, and neighborhood spirit of its iconic First Street location, which served generations of residents, workers, artists, and visitors.
I created this painting to preserve the memory of a place that meant a great deal to many people in the Japanese American community and beyond. Suehiro was more than a restaurant—it was a place where friendships were maintained, community connections were strengthened, and chance encounters were common. During my own visits, it was not unusual to run into friends from Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights, or elsewhere in Los Angeles.
As longtime neighborhood institutions continue to disappear, places like Suehiro become part of the cultural memory of Little Tokyo. This artwork reflects my ongoing interest in documenting the people, places, and businesses that have shaped the history and identity of Japanese American Los Angeles.
スエヒロ カフェは 51年間、リトル トーキョーのレストラン兼コミュニティの中心地でした。私はこの絵で、明るくて居心地のよいファースト ストリートの場所の懐かしさと魅力を再現したいと思いました。私はスエヒロで友人とよく食事をしましたが、この地域や近くのボイル ハイツの人たちと出会うこともよくありました。
Printed on premium 270gsm paper. Includes envelope. Printed in the USA.
Atomic Cafe was one of the most iconic gathering places in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. For more than four decades, the diner served Japanese American comfort food while also becoming an unlikely cultural crossroads where neighborhood residents, artists, musicians, and punk rockers shared the same space.
Beginning in the late 1970s, Atomic Cafe gained a reputation as a hub for Los Angeles punk and new wave culture. Its jukebox played an eclectic mix of punk, classic rock, new wave, and Japanese music, helping to establish the restaurant as a destination that bridged communities and generations. Though the cafe closed in 1989 and the building was later demolished to make way for the Regional Connector transit project, its influence continues to occupy a special place in the cultural memory of Little Tokyo and Los Angeles.
I created this artwork as a tribute to a place that embodied the layered histories of the neighborhood—a space where Japanese American community life intersected with the city's vibrant music and arts scenes. Through this painting, I hope to preserve the memory of a landmark that continues to resonate with former patrons, musicians, and generations of Little Tokyo residents.
リトル東京のアトミック カフェは、43年間にわたり日系アメリカ人の料理を提供するレストランでした。1977年以降は、ニュー ウェーブ、パンク、クラシックロック、日本の音楽が流れるジュークボックスを備え、パンクロッカーの拠点となりました。このコミュニティ スペースは1989年にしまった、2015年に地下駅のため潰れされました。
Print Details
This art print reproduces the original painting with a smooth matte finish that highlights color and detail while minimizing glare.
Premium matte finish
Matching white envelopes included
Suitable for framing or gifting
When you get a new Daruma, his eyes are blank. You set a goal or intention and fill in one eye, then fill in the second eye after you've achieved it. These vibrant greeting cards feature my original acrylic painting of a Daruma (Bodhidharma, founder of Japanese Zen), perfect for sending well wishes and a message of perseverance and good luck. Ideal for those who appreciate unique artwork and want to spread positivity. Relevant for birthdays, thank you notes, and special occasions.
All cards come with envelopes.
