Nibelungenlied

Size: 30*40cm
Materials: Acrylic on canvas
Year of work: 2026
Description:

Drawing on the German epic Nibelungenlied, this painting uses the figure of Siegfried as a metaphor for the fragility of contemporary intimacy and social relations. Though seemingly invincible, Siegfried is undone by a single hidden vulnerability. Here, that wound becomes an image of modern subjectivity: outwardly self-possessed, yet shaped by precarity, detachment, and emotional instability. The work reflects on how, beneath the appearance of independence, contemporary relationships often remain fragile and vulnerable to collapse.

XINYI LIU

Nibelungenlied