Ani Liu: eye heart womb

Ani Liu, a New York-based artist, researcher and designer, explores the human body as both a biological entity and a cultural construct in her interdisciplinary work at the intersection of art, biotechnology and gender studies. Her latest project, developed during the final months of her third pregnancy, examines embodied experiences, social expectations around motherhood and the commodification of bodily fluids. A new short documentary by filmmaker Miao Wang, produced for PBS, follows Liu’s creative process and situates her practice within broader debates on reproductive rights in the United States.

Liu’s work draws on unconventional materials—including breast milk, menstrual blood and semen—to interrogate how society assigns value, labor and meaning to the female body. Trained in both art and biotechnology, she combines scientific methods with conceptual art to create installations and performances that expose hidden assumptions about gender roles and reproductive labor. Her 2021 project “Milk” used donated breast milk to explore the intersections of nutrition, care and economic exploitation, while earlier works like “Sperm” and “Womb” probed the cultural symbolism of semen and pregnancy.

The documentary, titled “Ani Liu: eye heart womb,” offers viewers an intimate look at Liu’s studio practice during a pivotal period in her personal life. It highlights her ongoing fascination with “culturally loaded bodily materials” and their capacity to reveal systemic biases in healthcare, labor and social policy. The film also situates her work within the current landscape of reproductive rights in the United States, where access to abortion and maternal healthcare remains a contentious issue.

Critics and curators have praised Liu’s approach for its intellectual rigor and emotional resonance. Her projects have been exhibited at venues including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. By framing bodily processes as both biological facts and cultural narratives, Liu invites audiences to reconsider how we perceive gender, labor and technology.

As reproductive rights continue to dominate national discourse, Liu’s work gains new urgency. Her art does not offer solutions but instead exposes contradictions, challenging viewers to confront the ways culture shapes biology—and vice versa.

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